[1]Nellore: The number of drunken driving cases registered in Nellore during a drive on the occasion of ‘Road Safety Week’ concluded on January 7 has baffled the Road Transport Authority. Tha-nks to 60-odd cases booked in Nellore alone within five days that too for only two hours in one area each day between 9 pm and 11 pm.
Transport officials involv-ed in the exercise, armed with a breathing analyzer, said that they were surprised when they noticed a majority of drivers in an inebriated condition. As per Section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving by a drunken person or by a person under the influence of drugs or alcohol shall be punishable for the first offe-nce for a term up to six mo-nths or with fine which may extend up to Rs 2000, or with both. Those with alcohol content above 30 mg per 100 ml of blood are liable for the punishment.
According to deputy transport commissioner S.A.V.Prasada Rao, the primary objective of MV Act is to punish the offenders under various provisions of the Act and the punishment varies from one month to two years and fine up Rs 5,000 depending on the nature of offence.
In general, Road Transport Authorities compound the cases by collecting compounding fee in lieu of prosecution.
Speaking to this newspaper, Mr Rao said that they have taken the help of police to check the drunken driving. He observed that the drunken driving is very high in Nellore town while referring to 15-odd cases booked within an hour each day. He said that they are going to obtain two latest breathing analyzer machines shortly to continue the checks on daily basis.
“Although the cases are compoundable we have decided to proceed legally against the offenders in 54 cases booked for overloading to discourage the violations,” Mr Rao noted. He added that they have been paying special attention to prevent drunken driving since the emphasis is on the subject for the current year.
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