Party hard in the last week of this year. But ensure you do not get caught for drunken driving.
While driving, make sure that you have not consumed more than one bottle of beer or 500 ml of whisky or Rum. This is the way to maintain the amount of alcohol within 30 mg per 100 ml of blood - the permissible limit as prescribed under the Motor Vehicle Act.
If you have consumed more, then make sure that you have a designated driver, either your own friend or a taxi driver who can take you home safe.
This gains importance as the city is entering into the last week of the year to celebrate Christmas and the New Year. "We do not to clamp down on consumption of liquor. But we concerned of the safety of motorists and also the pedestrians. We do not want these celebrations to lead to loss of life," said Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic and Security) Praveen Sood.
Permissible consumption
A motorist is permitted to drive the vehicle if the alchometer shows the amount of alcohol to be less than 30 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood.
If the presence of alcohol is more, then the traffic policeman will issue a notice to the motorist for appearance before the jurisdictional court and give him a copy of the alcohol meter reading. The police will hold back the motorist's driving license till disposal of the case.
The motorist's partner, if in a better state, will be permitted to drive. Otherwise the vehicle will be made to park at the police station and the motorist will be asked to hire a taxi to reach their destination.
The court may either impose fine of Rs. 2,000 or sentence the motorist for imprisonment for a term of six months. If it’s the second time the motorist has been caught, he might have to pay a fine of Rs. 3,000 or face imprisonment for a term of two years.
The traffic police have been using new type of alchometers to measure the amount of alcohol. Till November the city police have booked 33241 cases of drunken driving. In the first week of December the city police booked as many as 1,588 cases. "We are making checks at different locations and taking the motorists by surprise," Mr. Sood said.
Initiative
Early this month the Traffic police started a campaign to promote the concept of designated driver. In association with Radio One and Easy Cabs, the traffic police are asking party goers to hire a cab to get back safely to their houses. As a part of the campaign, Easy Cabs (Ph: 43434343), apart from keeping the cabs available on call, will be keeping two of its vehicles at each of the 12 night clubs in the city for three months.
