Pulling up drunk drivers

Drive to be strengthened in city police limits

In a bid to bring down the number of accidents, checking against drunk driving has been strengthened in all the city police station limits with the already supplied alcometres.

Two police officers from every police station will be taking care of the special drive. Efforts will be taken to conduct the checking regularly. Deputy Commissioner of Police K.B. Venugopal said the police team booked nearly 600 drunken drivers in the special checking conducted last month.

In all the cases, the accused were fined and the licences were suspended as part of the strict action, he added.

On Saturday’s special drive, 82 drunk drivers were arrested by the police from various corners of the city.

This was after a three-hour-long checking from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Police officials in-charge of the checking drive revealed that most of the booked drunk drivers belonged to the age group of 30 to 40.

It also included professionals, daily wage workers and students, they said.

Fine of Rs.3,500

To bring down the illicit practice, the police officials had been asked to slap a fine of Rs.3,500 on the accused, besides sending proposal to the Regional Transport Officer to suspend his or her licence for a period of six months. In addition to this, the vehicles would be seized and would be released only after imparting a special class on the evil effect of intoxicated driving to the accused.

“We have supplied alcometres to all Circle Inspectors to tighten the checking, and all the 16 police stations too have the device to monitor the trend,” said Mr. Venugopal. He also maintained that it was not the lack of awareness on the impact, but the negative attitude that persuaded many to indulge in drunk driving.

The officer revealed that the police officials deployed for vehicle inspection came across even highly qualified business men who were found violating the rules and driving the vehicles totally drunk. “In all such cases, the drivers of the vehicles were found aware of the impact of the habit, but were not ready to comply with the road laws,” he said.