New Year’s Eve Witnessed An Increase In Individuals Booked For Traffic Violations

In an effort to toughen their stance against drink driving and other traffic violations this New Year’s Eve, the police tightened checks and security across cities in India. As a result of this, several cities have reported an increase in the number of cases that were registered.

In Delhi, the police reported that the number of traffic violations was double compared to figures from the previous year. A total of 13,260 traffic tickets were issued for various violations including drink driving and over-speeding as against 6,486 last year. Senior officials attributed this increased number of challans to greater vigilance and a “zero tolerance attitude” by police.

“We tried to make the best possible arrangements to curb instances of drunk driving, over speeding and other traffic violations by the revellers. We also made elaborate arrangements to ensure smooth flow of traffic, as the volume of traffic was quite high,” Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ajay Kashyap said.

Also Read: With Rising Number Of Road Deaths, Why India Needs To Fight Drink Driving

The figures from Hyderabad tell a similar story, with the police registering over 1,500 cases of drink driving and collected fines worth ₹4.03 lakh for this and other traffic violations.

According to a release, Hyderabad’s police had made elaborate arrangements for the maintenance of security and law and order over the New Year’s weekend. The entire 15,000 strong police force of the Hyderabad City had been deployed. Additionally, they were supported by the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and the Telangana State Special Police.

Mumbai, which has been campaigning to bring down drink driving in the city since 2007, saw a 20 per cent dip in the number of cases related to driving under the influence of alcohol this New Year’s Eve. Around 565 people were challaned for drink driving and 1,879 were penalised for other traffic violations. In 2015, 705 individuals had been booked for drink driving.

Also Read: Mumbai’s Uphill Battle Against Drink Driving: How Safe Are The City’s Roads?

Meanwhile, in Jaipur, 47 people were reported to have been injured in road accidents linked to drink driving between 8 PM and 8 AM, over December 31 and January 1. As many as 56 motorists were booked for driving after drinking over the permissible limit, according to DCP (Traffic) Haidar Ali Zaidi.

Also Read: 
Jaipur: 47 Injured In Drink Driving Accidents On New Year’s Eve
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