This was the warning sounded by traffic police for a special drive against drunken driving: If a motorist is caught driving under the influence of liquor beyond the permissible limit, his vehicle would be seized by police, license confiscated and a charge-sheet filed against him in court.
In all, there were 315 cases of drunken driving booked in one evening, this despite the fact that it was an openly announced drive where police had predefined spots and timings of the drive. And this only goes to show that hardly anyone cared, unless we are to believe that the announcement of the drive itself went unnoticed.
These occasional drives against drunken driving and talking on the cell phone while driving have not changed much on the road, except for the fact that it raked in additional revenue for the department.
In April this year, police had booked around 100 drunken offenders in a similar drive. Last week there was another against those using cell phones while driving or riding. In 2017, a total of 3,235 violators were booked for using mobile phones while driving and 413 licences were suspended, while 2,051 such cases were registered in the first half of 2018. By the way, use of mobile phones while driving is the second highest violation after driving under the influence of alcohol.
Goa traffic police have to consistently take road safety seriously. Motorists have been flouting every road rule, and citizens continue to talk merrily on their cell phones or flash their high beam-lights or even speed away with pitch-black tinted glasses. These traffic drives are like our once-in-a-blue-moon matka raids, which come and go.
Secondly, offenders know they have an easy way out since courts have been taking a lenient view where even repeat offenders manage to get bail very easily. Moreover, drunken driving cases are not compoundable, so they’re always sent to court. It is up to the court to issue directions for suspension of licences, based on the strength of the case. The chances of arrest in such offences are very rare. Stringent rules like those proposed by the police to imprison serious offenders for 7 days without bail, coupled with hefty fines and suspension of licences are the need of the hour.
On the social side, drunken driving could find many a Goan in a quandary. Liquor plays a part in most of the festivities in the State, and most often than not, the extra peg at the family evening could end up in a nightmare for families, since it entails seizing of vehicles. And while the man at the wheel plays his popular number “Take me home…” by John Denver, the family may just realize that the way home may not be as easy. Driving a vehicle with over 30mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood tested on a breath analyzer is punishable.
Last but not the least, we hope the crackdown on road traffic violations carry on with the same intensity. Bribes and corruption are nothing new to traffic police, be it Goa or elsewhere. We hope the long arms of corruption don’t take the steam out of this drive. It is common knowledge that the tighter the enforcement, the better are the roadside deals.
