NEW DELHI: Delhi Police took tough measures against the menace of drunken driving last year with a drastic rise in the number of challans issued throughout the year against people who were found driving a vehicle in an intoxicated state.
According to data shared by the traffic police, 16,173 people were booked for drunken driving in 2023 as against 2,225 such cases in 2022, 2,831 in 2021 and 3,986 in 2020. Notably, drunk driving is a major cause of road accidents especially during night. Among the people who died in road accidents in the city in the year 2022, men constituted 90% of the total fatalities.
A traffic police official said it is the need of the hour that the violators booked for drunken driving be made to pay steeper fines and undergo harsher punishments to deter the violators from committing these violations again.
“With this proactive approach, the Delhi Traffic Police increased their presence on the roads and formed special teams to ensure commuters’ safety and prevent any untoward incident,” the official said. The special drive started one day prior to Christmas and continued till midnight of December 31, 2023, with a special focus on pubs, bars and hotels where parties are organised.
From December 16-31, the total number of challans issued in Delhi increased significantly from 274 challans in 2021 to 2,129 challans in 2023. The officer said that besides prosecuting violators, road safety awareness camps are also organized by the department from time to time in schools, colleges, major intersections, etc. and to provide information in connection with road use.
“Short films, lectures and educational literature about safe driving were also distributed during these camps. Delhi Traffic Police is constantly trying to make people aware in this regard through advertisements in newspapers and social media posts on Twitter, Facebook, and through other mediums like mobile exhibition vehicles, and street plays,” the official added.
On the New Year’s Eve itself Delhi Police issued over 3000 challans in the capital, including 360 for drunk driving, officials said on Monday. According to official data, 147 challans were issued for triple riding, 948 for riding without a helmet, 1,447 for improper parking, 146 for driving on wrong side and 94 for tinted glasses.
The police issued 360 challans for drunk driving, an increase of more than 13% over previous year, they said. Kapashera (22), Nangloi (20), Sangam Vihar (16), Tilak Nagar (15), and Nand Nagri (14) are the five areas that reported the maximum number of cases on New Year’s Eve. Delhi Traffic Police deployed 2,500 personnel to ensure smooth movement of vehicles and 250 teams with alcometres were tasked to check drunken driving on New Year’s Eve.
16,173 people booked for drunken driving in 2023
360 drunk drivers on New Year’s Eve
2,129 challans issued between December 16-31, 2023
90 % of total fatalities in road accidents men