After almost two years of the drive against drink driving, traffic police efforts have finally begun to pay off, at least partially. While there is no decrease in the total number of offences, cases against businessmen and software professionals have come down this year.
Traffic police said this was due to imprisonment of offenders, which has finally led to some awareness, mainly the middle class, who find it hard to face their families and friends after going to jail. “There is definitely a change among people now, who are being more careful. Particularly, IT professionals and businessmen in the city, who go for parties, are making sure that they have a designated driver when they return,” said Amit Garg, additional commissioner of police (traffic).
According to traffic police, the number of offenders belonging to the business class has come down to 1,603 this year (till September), compared to last year’s 2,157.
Similarly, the number of IT employees has also dipped from 324 last year to 251 this year. A senior traffic police official said many of the offenders from the two categories are middle-aged and for them to get jailed even for a single day is a life-changing experience.
Last year, a total of 10,813 cases of drunk driving were registered, out of which 3,402 offenders were private employees. Likewise, out of the 9,864 cases registered in 2013, the numbers in the same category rose to 3,556.