Cops play gentlemen: Drunk drivers sent home in cabs

Sunday, Jan 02, 2011




The Delhi Police went hammer and tongs after drunk drivers on Friday night. For the first time ever, the traffic police summoned violators to court instead of just letting them off with a nominal R100 fine.

"We prosecuted 484 persons for various traffic offences last night. While 388 people were booked for drink driving, the remaining were prosecuted for offences such as violation of Supreme Court guidelines, tinted glasses and defective number plates," said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

Garg said those apprehended for drunken driving were instructed to appear before courts, where they face the possibility of getting jail term besides having their licences suspended and being made to pay fines up to R2,000.

Also, this year, the traffic police booked twice the number of offenders as compared to 2009, when only 189 were challaned.

Owing to massive police deployment, Delhi roads remained fatal accident-free on New Year's eve. "We deployed around 500 traffic police motorcycles and 100-odd teams to check drink driving," Garg said.

The police said all 388 drivers appeared at various city courts on Saturday morning.

"Though all of those prosecuted last night appeared at a designated court on Saturday, most of them sought future dates for hearings," said Rajan Bhagat, spokesperson, Delhi Police.

FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE MOTOR VEHICLE ACT CAME INTO EFFECT IN 1988, ABOUT 484 DRIVERS WERE PROSECUTED ON THE FIRST DAY OF NEW YEAR. When it came to dealing with drunk drivers, the traffic policemen were gentlemen first and officers later.

Around 88 commuters whose vehicles were impounded for drunk driving on Friday night were sent home in auto-rickshaws and radio cabs specially arranged for them by the traffic police officers.

"The Motor Vehicle Act (1988), under which they were prosecuted, also states that an alternative mode of transport should be provided to inebriated drivers if they are not accompanied by a `sober' driver. So we arranged auto-rickshaws and cabs for them," said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

For the first time since the Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) came into effect in 1988, more than 484 drivers were prosecuted for various traffic offences by being directed to appear in court on Saturday morning, instead of being let-off after a minor fine ranging from R100R600 on New Year's eve.

"Most of these prosecutions -114 -took place in the southern range. Around 108 drivers were fined in the northern range, while the western range saw 80 drivers being prosecuted," said a senior traffic police officer.

He said about 45 prosecutions in central and 30-odd in east Delhi made up the smallest chunk of those booked for violations ranging from tinted glasses to defective number plates.

"A driver who was reeking of alcohol requested me to sit beside him as he drove to gauge his driving skills, while a Delhi University student who seemed to be heavily drunk begged us to let him go because he was afraid his mother would get angry," the officer said.

More than 3,000 drivers have been prosecuted for various offences since the MVA was more rigourously implemented in August till December, 2010. "Since August, more than 720 of those found violating traffic norms have been awarded jail terms and 580 have had their driving licences suspended. Most of the cases are yet to be decided at city courts," Garg said.

Original news source http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/PUBLICATIONS/HT/HD/2011/01/02/ArticleHtmls/Cops-play-gentlemen-Drunk-drivers-sent-home-in-02012011003003.shtml?Mode=1