According to data obtained from the Mumbai Traffic police, 14,888 drivers were caught for drink driving this year in the city and its suburbs; more than 4,000 have been sent to jail for the offence
41 drivers were caught drunk in Mumbai every day in 2014
Nearly 15,000 people in the city were caught by the Mumbai Traffic police for driving under the influence of alcohol in the year 2014. This amounts to around 41 people being caught every day, data from Traffic cops has revealed.
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Cops began their intensified crackdown on drink driving in June 2007. File pic for representation
As per the statistics obtained from the Traffic police, 14,888 motorists were apprehended for drink driving in the city in the year 2014 (till December 29). That amounts to approximately 41 people on a daily basis. Police sent 4,301 to jail and suspended the licences of 2,947 persons.
The Traffic police started their intensive crackdown on drink driving in June 2007, and data recorded for the offence since then poses a revealing picture. More than 1.20 lakh (1,20,079) motorists have been caught driving drunk.
Of these, 47,435 licences have been suspended for various reasons relating to the offence including committing it repeatedly, or having too much of alcohol in blood. The year 2008 was especially tipsy, with 16,450 people landing in the police net for drink driving.
“Most strict drives are conducted on the nights of Christmas or New Year’s Eve, when most people are driving back home after parties. Our staff is vigilant and arrests motorists who violate the law,” said a senior Traffic police official.
Dr Bhushan Kumar Upadhyay, joint commissioner of police (traffic), said, “We have had continuous drives against drink driving, and we are also getting results. We will intensify our efforts in 2015.
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There are other campaigns for other traffic rules in the offing as well.” There are around 23 lakh vehicles in the city, including buses, trucks, auto rickshaws, taxis and private vehicles. Of the privately owned vehicles, there are 8 lakh two-wheelers and 6 lakh cars.