Karnataka - Bangalore   

Cases of drunken driving double in 2004

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, JAN. 17. The M.S. Ramaiah Hospital treated 13 persons injured in road accidents in the early hours of January 1. Most of them were victims of drunken driving.

Two years after it was launched, the campaign of the city traffic police and non-governmental organisations to curb drunken driving appears to have run out of steam. The number of cases of drunken driving almost doubled during 2004, according to figures compiled by the city police.

During the year, 18,595 cases were booked by the traffic police against drivers who had consumed alcohol beyond safe limits. The number of cases booked in 2003 were 10,163. Interestingly, close to 75 per cent of those booked for driving under the influence of alcohol last year were two-wheeler riders.

Weekend binges?

Another fact that emerged from the statistics was that almost 90 per cent of the cases were booked on Saturdays and Sundays, mostly through evenings and nights.

The police feel that mental health experts should examine whether this is a pointer to more people going for weekend binges. The cases of driving under the influence of alcohol go up during festivals. New Year's Eve accounts for the largest number of cases booked on a single day.

Enforcement

The traffic police find it difficult to quantify the accidents which could have been caused by drivers under the influence of alcohol. The drivers mostly escape unhurt unless they are on two-wheelers; some are hit-and-run cases. The police feel stricter enforcement of the law may become necessary with regular checks using breathalysers around all popular watering holes in the city. The flipside is that if no breathalyser (alcometer) is readily available, it may be too late by the time an intoxicated driver is medically examined.

Use of mobiles

Another phenomenon worrying the traffic police is the increasing cases of violation of the rule prohibiting drivers of all vehicles from using mobile phones while driving.

The number of cases booked for this violation increased to 21,611 during 2004, compared to 11,269 cases in 2003. "Many drivers are seen on the roads, speaking on their mobile phones clutched in one hand while trying to handle the steering wheel with one hand and this obviously results in accidents. Even those using hands-free ear phones can be distracted and cause accidents," police officials point out.

Other offences

Apart from drivers who have had one drink too many and those who blissfully drive while speaking on their mobile phones, the traffic police have to contend with other offences such as jumping red signals, reckless driving and over-speeding especially on one-way roads.

A combination of stricter enforcement and education may become necessary if accidents and traffic violations are not to increase in pace with the increasing number of vehicles on Bangalore's roads.

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