The traffic police booked 230 cases against drunk drivers and seized around 10 vehicles for rash driving on the first day of the new year.
This is an increase from last year’s figures, when only 10 cases of driving under the influence were booked. Last year, the police were given instructions “to go slow” on booking such cases, considering the “inconvenience to the public”, said a senior police official. “Last year, we were told not to check for driving drunk and concentrate on managing traffic. This is because traffic would be heavy on New Year’s Eve and checking for those driving drunk would mean more traffic snarls and inconvenience to other motorists,” the official added.
This year, he said, “We cracked the whip on drunk driving and even seized a few vehicles.”
Besides, they took action against motorists found drag racing or performing stunts on motorcycles.
‘Fewer accidents’More than 500 traffic policemen had been deputed to ensure that New Year celebrations went on smoothly, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic West) S. Girish said. Measures such as closing flyovers, monitoring roads through CCTV cameras and increased patrolling helped bring down the number of accidents on the day, he added.
