Drunken driving cases triple in north Andhra region
By : Laxmi Pranathi
Update: 2025-01-05 15:49 GMT
Visakhapatnam: North Andhra region, in particular Visakhapatnam district, has seen a dramatic surge in drunk driving incidents, with the number of cases tripling over the past two years.
According to data available, Visakhapatnam witnessed a 58 per cent increase in drunken driving in 2024, with 33,707 prosecutions compared to 21,376 in 2023 and 9,667 in 2022.
Despite enforcement, tragic incidents have persisted. In 2023, a young couple lost their lives on the Beach Road in Visakhapatnam when a drunk driver hit them.
Police are conducting surprise checks with breath-analyser tests. Drivers who exceed 30 mg of alcohol limit in 100 ml of blood are being booked under Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act.
While instances in central areas like Beach Road have decreased slightly, outskirts have experienced a troubling rise in the number of cases. Drunk driving is contributing to 6–10 per cent of road crashes in the city.
Profiling of the cases shows that nearly 40 per cent of the offenders are within the 20–35 age group. Vizag city on an average records between 70–90 cases. Led by city police commissioner Shanka Brata Bagchi, Visakhapatnam police have imposed penalties totalling to ₹11.05 crore, nearly double the ₹5.7 crore they collected in 2023. Several drunken drivers have faced brief jail terms.
Srikakulam district registered 2,392 cases in 2024, leading to 1,858 fines and penalties of ₹13.88 lakh. Two persons had been convicted by courts.
Vizianagaram saw 5,853 cases during the year, resulting in fines of ₹87.79 lakh, while Anakapalli logged 4,332 incidents.