178 caught drunk driving in three day crackdown, action to intensify towards year-end 

“The Traffic police appeals to all citizens to note that driving after consuming alcohol is a serious offence and significantly increases the risk of serious accidents. Citizens are urged to strictly follow traffic rules and ensure the safety of their own lives and those of others. The action against the drunk drivers will intensify towards the end of the year.” DCP Jadhav added.

As part of the procedure, the persons caught with a higher than permissible limit of alcohol in breath analysers tests are booked and are prosecuted in a designated court for punitive action. Section 185 of Motor Vehicle Act pertains to driving by a drunken person or by a person under the influence of drugs. If a person has in blood, alcohol level exceeding 30 milligram per 100 ml of blood as detected in a test by a breath analyser or is under this influence of a drug to such an extent as to be incapable of exercising proper control over the vehicle, is booked under these provisions.

For the first offence, the provision attracts punishment of imprisonment for a term up to six months or with a fine or both. For the second or subsequent offence, if committed within three years of the commission of the previous similar offence, imprisonment may go up to two years or fine or both.

Last month, a court in Pune Pune dealing with cases under Motor Vehicles Act handed a unique sentence to a 28-year-old man caught drunk driving in July. In addition to a fine, the court has ordered him to print 1,000 flyers on the dangers of drunk driving and personally distribute them at traffic signals. In September, the Motor Vehicle cases court in Pune had sentenced two men to 15 days of simple imprisonment along with fine after they were found guilty of drunk driving along with other traffic violations.