Hyderabad: Rise in drunk driving among students
There were more cases of drunk driving this year than last year in Hyderabad.
Hyderabad: The city traffic police conduct special drives to check drunk driving but it is not enough as the menace of drunk driving has only increased.
There were more cases of drunk driving this year than last year in Hyderabad. Some 27,740 cases have been registered since January this year. Local courts have sent 5,373 offenders to jail and 1,197 driving licences have been cancelled permanently.
Psychologists say lack of awareness of the impact of alcohol on the body, and of the impairment of one’s thinking ability causes people to still drive when under the influence of alcohol. Violators should be counselled about these things.
Inspector G. Harsha of the traffic training institute said, “We find a change in the offender’s attitude after they attend counselling. Repeat offenders are in the ratio of two in one lakh people.”
Inspector Harsha says the awareness programmes are conducted daily. The Hyderabad traffic police have also conducted awareness programmes in around 631 schools and colleges and educated 1,58,467 students in 2018. Around 108 per cent more students underwent the awareness programme this year compared to the previous year. Boards have been installed at malls and business establishments warning drivers about the hazards of drunk driving.
Dr Devika Rani, a psychologist who counsels offenders caught in drunk and drive cases said, “Many offenders are unaware about the legal consequences if they are caught driving drunk. The knowledge about permissible limit of alcohol being 30 mg/bl is also lacking among citizens.”