THE GOAN NETWORK | PANAJI
On average, in the last five years in Goa, 640 driving licenses were suspended every year for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The record also shows that yearly, the State recorded around 1,200 cases of drunk driving since 2020.
Drunk driving
According to the police, many people, including tourists, consume alcohol at parties or events and then drive in a rash and negligent manner, many times leading to accidents, sometimes even fatalities.
Data shows that in 2020, Goa police booked 1,660 cases of drunk driving. The number substantially reduced to 266 in 2021 before taking a huge jump in 2022, the year that reported 1,378 cases. This year, till July end, police booked close to 1,000 cases, the majority during the special drivers held across Goa.
Suspension
of licenses
The transport department director Rajan Satardekar said that in the last five years, they have suspended 3,232 licenses of drivers found driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. This shows that on average, 646 licenses are suspended every year in Goa for the said violation.
The licenses are suspended for a minimum period of three months in case of first offence.
In a horrifying incident on August 6, a speeding Mercedez-Benz SUV, driven by a drunk driver killed three people while three more were left seriously injured. The driver, who is currently in police custody, is a habitual offender of the Motor Vehicle Act. The accused, found under the influence of very high alcohol, has brought back into focus the issue of drunken driving on Goan roads.
Satardekar said that driving under the influence of alcohol is a crime under Section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act. He said that the suspension is usually for a period ranging between three and six months after which the matter is re-examined based on police recommendations.
Limits, laws
and penalty
A driver is permissible to drive with an alcohol limit of up to 30mg in his blood per 100 mL of blood detected by a breath analyser in the test.
As per law, the violators can be punished for the first offence by imprisonment for a term of up to six months or a fine of up to Rs 2,000 or both. And for a second or subsequent offence, if committed within three years of the previous similar offence, is punished by imprisonment for a term of up to two years.