NEW DELHI: The latest data released by Delhi Traffic Police suggests that instances of drunk driving have increased by 22% this year compared to previous year.
Police data shows that between Jan 1 and March 31, they have prosecuted 6,591 drunk drivers. This is a rise from 5,384 cases in 2023 and 399 in 2022. West Delhi’s Rajouri Garden has topped the list of such violations, with 333 drunk drivers being challaned in the last 3 months.
Samaypur Badli saw the second highest cases at 252.
Mehrauli recorded 240 violations and Karol Bagh and Rohini 235 each. Model Town recorded 200 violations. Punjabi Bagh, Narela, Kalkaji, and Lajpat Nagar recorded violations under 200 between Jan 1 and March 31.
Road safety experts said the rise was worrisome. Prince Singhal, the founder of the Community Against Drunken Driving, said: With the rise in sale of alcohol, an obvious rise has been seen in drunk driving. 22% is a disastrous increase. Drunk driving is an everyday phenomenon, and it has to be checked every day by the enforcement agencies.
Motorists go through manual checks by traffic personnel and face breathalyzer tests, during which the drivers are asked to blow into a machine’s pipe to measure the blood alcohol level, or BAC.
Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, states that if a person is found driving a vehicle with a blood alcohol content of more than 30 grams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, then the driver can be fined, imprisoned, or both.
