Chennai registers over 800 drunk driving cases in a week

CHENNAI: The Chennai city police have come down heavily on drunk drivers, and have registered over 800 cases against them in the first week of July. The police had intensified their checking for drunken driving in the wake of the government’s recent lockdown relaxations, which allowed the reopening of liquor shops.

The statistics from July 1 to July 7 show that the number of cases have been on a swift rise even on weekdays. While 132 and 168 cases were registered on Saturday and Sunday respectively, 136 cases were registered on Wednesday.

Speaking to Express, Pradip Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police, Traffic, Greater Chennai city police, said that the City police Commissioner, Shankar Jiwal, has instructed the officers of the traffic wing to enforce strict measures to fine drunken motorists and seize their vehicles.

“If a person is caught driving under the influence of alcohol, the individual would be fined Rs 10,000. After it is paid through an e-challan, the vehicle would be seized and the person would be produced before a virtual court. Other than the penalties, we will also write to the transport authorities to suspend the license of the motorist,” said Pradip Kumar.

A relative or a friend will also be called upon to pick the motorist up from the checkpoint. He/she would be sent to a hospital if in need of medical attention.

To curb accidents
“The habit is dangerous to both the innocent passersby, who is often the victim of drunken driving accidents, and to the motorist himself. We have installed 12 checkpoints in the city dedicated to check drunken driving cases,” said Pradip Kumar.

During the first six months in 2020, the city recorded over 600 accident cases of which a considerable number were caused by drunken motorists. The number went down after the city police came down heavily on the violators, said a senior police officer.

Commissioner Shankar Jiwal has appealed to the public not to drink and drive and has asked them to cooperate with the men in uniform.