Jaipur: Despite the fact that the Jaipur
traffic police and various
police stations are seen taking stern action against drunken driving, the number of defaulters are increasing every year.
In the first quarter of this year, the number of defaulters caught by the Jaipur traffic police for drunken driving is almost triple compared to previous year. Such is the scenario, that even after being caught for drunken driving and getting released through penalty from court the same persons are caught again and are referred for termination of their driving licenses.
According to the senior officers of the Jaipur police especially Jaipur traffic police special emphasis is given to check the drunken driving which is actually responsible for fatal accidents in the city.
“Till April, 2018 we have taken action against 6,149 people who were caught for drunken driving and were booked under section 185 of Motor Vehicles Act. It is a big number compared to 2601 of those booked for same mistake till April, 2017,” said Lovely Katiar, deputy commissioner of police (traffic).
Jaipur traffic police was conferred with FICCI India’s award for best practices in smart policing in road safety. “In order to demoralize the drunken driving we are going tough against it,” Katiar added.
Section 185 of MV Act is a strong preventive measure in which the defaulter’s vehicle is seized and he is asked to appear in a court for its release. For the first offence the defaulter can face an imprisonment of six months or a cash fine of Rs 2000 or both. “If the same person does the mistake again within three years since his last similar offence he is liable to face an imprisonment of two years or fine of Rs 3000 or both. There are cases in which we have caught the same person who appeared in the court,” said a senior officer of Jaipur police.
Last year, 23 people were jailed for drunken driving, and many riders in the city continue to do so.
Representative image