Drink-driving, speeding cases doubled this New Year’s Eve as compared to 2016

On New Year’s Eve on Sunday, at least 16,720 motorists and riders were issued tickets in Delhi for violating traffic rules, traffic police said on Monday.

On New Year’s Eve on Sunday, at least 16,720 motorists and riders were issued tickets in Delhi for violating traffic rules, traffic police said on Monday.

The traffic police had deployed teams at 433 checkpoints, out of which 125 points were set up with a special focus on drink-driving. (Arvind Yadav/HT PHOTO)

Out of these, drink-driving cases were around 1,752 — almost double of 2016 when 889 out of 13,260 motorists and riders pulled over for violating traffic rules, were caught drink driving on New Year’s Eve.

Special commissioner of police (traffic) Dependra Pathak attributed the increase in the number of defaulters to “zero tolerance and comprehensive pan Delhi arrangement”.

Pathak said the traffic police had deployed teams at 433 checkpoints, out of which 125 points were set up with a special focus on drink-driving. “These points were the ones where there are usually large number of drink-driving violations. It includes areas such as Hauz Khas, Vasant Kunj, Khan Market in south Delhi, Cross River Mall in east Delhi and Connaught Place. In addition, there was a restriction on entry of vehicles at Connaught Place from 8.30pm,” Pathak said.

He added that there was a strict vigil and several messages against drink-driving were issued by Delhi Police in the run-up to Sunday.

As far as major violations are concerned, cases of speeding doubled in 2017 with 193 tickets as compared to 78 in 2016. A marginal rise was seen in the number of dangerous driving cases as 507 cases were reported in 2017 as compared to 492 in 2016. The number of lane violations was 1,125.

The number of two-wheeler riders and pillions not wearing helmets accounted for 3,665 violations, the single biggest chunk of violators according to traffic police but the number was fewer compared to 2016 when it was 4,022.

In 2016 too, of the total tickets issued on New Year’s Eve, the maximum were issued for two-wheeler riders and pillions without a helmet.