Alarming! Drink driving deaths in Mumbai up by 114% in five years

Traffic police personnel now have over 150 automated breathalysers that can keep a record of past offencesIn the war against drink driving the Mumbai Police has done it all carried out awareness drives won the Internet with cheeky tweets roped in celebrities to influence motorists launched an onthespot echallan system increased the number of checkposts deputed over 1000 personnel on the roads and handed out more breathlysers to them But none of it has worked Rather the number of fatalities caused by drink driving has increased by 114 in the last five yearsTraffic police personnel have now been given automated breathalysers that can keep track of past offences Pic for representationIn 2016 14 accidents caused by drunk drivers caused 15 deaths in Mumbai In comparison the figures were smaller in 2011 six accidents claimed seven lives thenThe alarming data see table was collated by USbased Bloomberg Philanthropies as part of its global road safety initiative see accompanying story The findings of the study underscore the failings of the polices relentless campaigns against drink drivingCelebs like Karisma Kapoor have thrown their weight behind the antidrink driving campaignAmitesh Kumar joint commissioner of police traffic confirms that the numbers of accidents as well as fatalities have increased and are a cause for concern For the last three years the traffic police department has been focusing more on preventing rule violations Rash driving and drink driving need to be prioritised more he admitsCampaign fell shortAfter linking most fatal accidents with drunk motorists the city police launched its dont drink and drive campaign in 2007 From nakabandis to billboards ad spots on TV and radio and even gifting roses to motorists the campaign pulled out all the stops to inspire responsible drivingWe have taken many initiatives to curb the menace over the years asserts KumarIn January last year the Bombay HC ordered that both the central and the state governments adopt a zero tolerance policy towards drink driving stressing that the mere presence of alcohol in a drivers blood should be sufficient to disentitle him from driving with immediate suspension of licenceKeeping up with the times the traffic police department even switched to automated breathalysers which send photographs and a measure of the alcohol content to the main server and issue receipts on the spot Today the department has over 150 such devices in its kittyBesides the police carry out a nakabandi every weekend beginning Friday night in 34 city divisions Black spots which have a high concentration of accidents and routes close to bars and restaurants are watched keenlyKumar admits that these measures are still not enough Thats why we are also setting up alcohol meters at many bars and restaurants to let people know how much alcohol they have consumed and whether its within the permissible limitThe permissible blood alcohol content is set at 003 per 100 ml of blood That works out to 30 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood Although figures vary for everyone an average person weighing about 65 kg can stay within the legal limit if she consumes two pints of beer equivalent to 660 ml or one large whiskey peg 60 ml or two glasses of wine 200 ml The body takes about an hour to process 295 ml of alcohol Since each type of liquor has a different alcohol content to be able to drive again without ones reason and coordination being affected by it one must wait for at least 90 minutes after a pint of beer and three hours after a large whisky or two glasses of wineBut even with the new plans in place the police are keenly aware of their shortcomings We cant put a police personnel at every junction at night When we studied the accidents we found that pedestrians were the biggest casualties of drink driving says a police officer In 2016 there were 529 accidents which caused the death of 562 persons Of these 52 per cent were pedestriansDriving with impunityDespite knowing the perils of driving drunk what makes a motorist willing to take the risks Hvovi Bhagwagar a clinical psychologist and trauma therapist blames the wonthappentome syndrome Its largely those in the age group of 2838 who are behind most drink driving accidentsDr Kersi Chavda consultant psychiatrist at Hinduja and Hurkisondas hospitals adds There are two types of people the youth who believe nothing wrong can happen to them and those in the older age group who are deluded enough to believe that they can take the wheel This latter attitude percolates to the younger lot over time