Mumbai, Thane & Navi Mumbai witness decline in drunk driving cases on 31st
Representational Image. Courtesy: myxlaw.com
The presence of thousands of traffic cops on city roads seems to have worked as a deterrent, with Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai all witnessing a decline in the number of drunk driving cases on New Year’s eve.
While citizens were looking forward to new year celebrations, the countless hours of planning by authorities was executed by traffic officials and volunteers, who stood guard to ensure that the city and its roads stayed safe for everyone.
According to official data released by the traffic department, the Mumbai traffic police booked 567 people for driving under the influence of alcohol on December 31. Last year, the number stood at 705.
A majority of the drunk driving cases, 321 out of the 567 in total, were registered in North Mumbai. The Western region saw 165 cases.
A similar trend was observed for both Thane and Navi Mumbai too, which saw 597 and 306 cases respectively. In comparison, 650 and 500 people had been booked for the same offence in 2015.
“It is good to know that the number of drunk driving cases have reduced. However, it is sad to see motorists continuing to undermine the law despite knowing the consequences. The attitude towards following traffic rules still needs to change,” said a senior traffic official.
Other than traffic officials, who have been lauded for ensuring violators are booked, a part of the credit goes to the slew of campaigns run by the traffic police, like ‘Road Safety Week’, which are aimed at spreading awareness among citizens.
In case of Mumbai, the recently launched CCTV network and e-challan system played a part in keeping traffic violations in check.
Despite that, a total of 3,356 motorists were caught for various violations and a fine worth Rs 3.87 lakh was collected.
A majority of 3,356 motorists were caught for drunk driving and illegal parking (692), followed by 207 who were booked for riding without a helmet and 13 others were booked for rash driving.
The traffic police, along with police, had put up over 100 naka bandis throughout the city from as early as 7 pm on December 31 till 5 am on January 1 to monitor the roads.
