676 booked for drunk driving during holi celebrations in Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad

Pune City Traffic Control Branch caught and charged as many as 455 people for drunk driving. The Pimpri Chinchwad police on the other hand caught 221 two and four wheeler drivers for driving under influence of alcohol.

For the drunk driving checks, the police use the breathalyzer tests. A breathalyzer for alcohol detects the concentration of ethanol in a person’s breath. When a person exhales into the device, the alcohol molecules, if present, react with a sensor giving out current that indicates alcohol content and thus giving reading which corresponds to the blood alcohol concentration. As part of the procedure, the persons caught with a higher than permissible blood alcohol level 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.

Action is taken against persons with a blood alcohol level exceeding 30 milligrams per 100 ml of blood detected in a test by a breath analyser or are under the influence of a drug to such an extent that they are incapable of exercising proper control over the vehicle. For a first offence, the provision attracts punishment of imprisonment for a term of up to six months or with a fine or both and can attract licence cancellation. For a 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 a fine or both.

Crackdown on other traffic violations

Pune City police have undertaken an intensive crackdown against modified silencers of bikes. Police officials said that some people replace the factory fitted exhaust system of their bikes or make some changes in the fitted unit, which result in the exhaust system making a loud noise. These modified silencers make noises that are far louder than the prescribed noise pollution limit. In most cases bikers use modified silencers to flaunt their bikes of particular make, officials said.

Officials said that while such a drive was conducted in the past, they had again started receiving complaints about such bikes, especially from senior citizens. Pune police have taken action against 2822 bikes for using modified silencers from February 1. Pune police also fined as many as 15,009 from February 1 for riding triple-seat on the bikes.