Mumbai, Delhi have most tipsy drivers on roads: NGO….Megha Sood
Traffic police claim their drive has been successful in curbing drink-driving accidents to an extent
A recent survey released by CADD (Community Against Drunken Driving), an NGO working against drink-driving since 2001, has found that Mumbai and Delhi witness the highest number of such cases in the country.
However, the Mumbai traffic police has countered the findings of the survey stating that the figures were high in the city simple because a greater number of offences were being registered during special drives to crack down on drink-driving. The prosecution rate for drink-driving has increased 16 times in the past five years, the police said.
According to the survey, using figures from the National Crime Records Bureau and WHO, about 56 accidents and nearly 14 deaths occur on Indian roads every hour. The report also states that in 2001 in Delhi,1,545 people were killed due to accidents, while in Mumbai, below 1,000 were killed. In 2010, however, 11,388 people lost their lives in Delhi while 16,290 people died in Mumbai in road accidents.
According to the report, drink-driving has been responsible for 70% of road fatalities in the two cities. It also mentions that in 2010, India recorded 1,34,000 road accident deaths – which was the highest in the world. The World Banks trends put this figure at 2,00,000 annually.
About 5,20,000 road accident injuries and 4,90,000 road accidents occurred in 2010. About 56 accidents and 14 deaths occur due to road accident per hour.
A WHO report stated in 2001 that India will see an annual escalation of over 3 per cent in road accident deaths till 2040, unless emergency measures are taken. We have already surpassed the prediction with over 30 per cent escalation since 2005, said Prince Singhal, activist working with CADD.
Singhal further said that the high incidence of drink-driving is indicated by rising levels of police prosecution, but that this also gives a marginal picture as prosecution rates are only 2 per cent of the actual number of drink drivers in Mumbai. We will now take this report to the police authorities in Delhi and Mumbai and try to work on a solution with them, added Singhal.
When contacted, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Brijesh Singh said the survey did not give an accurate picture. In Mumbai, the drive against drink-driving has picked up great momentum since it started in 2007, Singh claimed. Since June 2007, more than 70,971 people have been booked for drink-driving, and about 40,715 people have landed in jail for the offence till November 2011, he said.
The drive has been successful and we have curbed drink-driving accidents to an extent. However, the mindset of people is difficult to change within five years, said another officer from the Mumbai traffic police.