Bhubaneswar: Odisha Police have decided to crack the whip on drunken driving by forwarding the accused to courts after invoking appropriate provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act.
Although the MV Act has provision for arresting tipsy drivers, Odisha police have not implemented the provisions seriously.
Under Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, if a breath-analyser detects alcohol exceeding 30 mg per 100 ml in a driver’s blood and he or she is incapable of driving, such people can be punished with a prison term of up to six months for the first offence. If a person is caught again within three years, he/she may be awarded a prison term of up to two years.
Director General of Police BK Sharma Thursday issued a circular directing all traffic police to curb drunken driving in the city limits.
Although the Supreme Court’s Committee on Road Safety has directed the state to reduce fatalities by 10 per cent each year, the rate is going up in Odisha. Sharma has asked police officials to ensure checking for drunken driving at every toll gate on NH and state highway and on accident-prone roads using breath-analysers.
A person found driving a vehicle under influence of drugs or liquor may be arrested and subjected to medical tests within two hours. However, the police officials have to transport the concerned vehicle to the residence of the road user, reads the circular.
The cops have been advised to maintain records of all such cases and collect CCTV footage from the tollgate for proof.