Mumbai: Drunken driving is one of the key reasons of road rage and deaths in our country. According to a recent report, 16,000 people may lose their licenses due to drunk driving, in the national capital, alone.
Although, alcohol and driving is considered a lethal combination, there is another simmering concern that looms large on the population that drives and texts. Many people have been seen hooked to their phone, while being behind the wheels.
“I can say that drunken driving and texting while driving are equally harmful. It is scientifically proved that when you message someone while driving, all your senses are towards the screen of the mobile phone. This could lead to dangerous repercussions,” says Ravindra Shisve, DCP (Zone 1) under whose jurisdiction the Colaba police fall.
Many youngsters live in oblivion, believing that this is not something that could cost lives. “I have never met with an accident while I have been texting behind the wheel. I agree that it does have its negatives but I have been a careful driver,” said a proud reckless driver, who wishes not to be named.
According to a study by Cohen Children’s Medical Center, texting while driving is now the leading cause of death among teenagers in the United States, surpassing drinking and driving. More than 3,000 teens die each year in crashes caused by texting while driving, approximately 2,700 teens are killed in drunk driving accidents and more than 50 percent of teens admit to texting while driving.
Although drinking and driving is an offence, a person who is using his mobile phone while driving could be booked under Section 279 in the Indian Penal Code, that covers rash driving and negligent driving as to endanger human life. “We can book people under this section but still like awareness has been raised for drunken driving, we should definitely have campaigns for driving while texting. We have got a number of cases in the Colaba division alone for negligent driving but it is always difficult to ascertain the involvement of mobile phones,” said Shisve.
In a country where there are more bylanes than roads, several cases go unreported. The need of the hour is not only to generate awareness, but also bring in accountability. Government-aided adverts and social media campaigns can help highlight the plight of those who fall prey to reckless driving.
Watch: The cost of texting while driving
