PAY FINE , OR END UP IN JAIL

PAY FINE , OR END UP IN JAIL 26 Jan 2009, 0512 hrs IST,TNN Text: BANGALORE: Were you caught out after one of those night binges? Did you blow into the alcometer, and were left holding a challan in the hand? More importantly, have you paid your fine? Better hurry up, or cops could land up on your doorstep and escort you to jail. It is serious business now -- the Saturday morning accident at Indiranagar where a drunk party animal snuffed out the lives of three senior citizens and a labourer has made the police sit up and screen their records. Up to December-end, the traffic police had issued nearly 500 notices to people who were caught for drunk driving, but these drivers/riders seem to have forgotten that night altogether. Additional commissioner of police (traffic) Praveen Sood told The Times of India that around 95 non-bailable warrants have already been issued. ``We are planning to approach court in about 500 cases which have not been disposed of. If you have been caught for drunken driving and have a notice, you better pay the fine else you may end up paying a heavy price,'' warned Sood. The statistics for drunken driven cases are telling. Though one may wonder how a city which sleeps at 11.30 pm -- with pubs and bars shutting down early -- can record such high numbers. This weekend was worse -- the Indiranagar car accident killing three pedestrians and one cyclist was followed by another accident in Hebbal on Sunday. How will police curb this menace? Sood says the police will intensify the drive against drunken driving. ``We will be getting about 125 alcometers in another 15 days and also get interceptors very soon. With the help of this, we can nab the offenders.'' The interceptor can spot a vehicle from a distance and identify the speed of the vehicle and dangerous driving. These interceptors also have alcometers. Every offence can be documented through the interceptors. The most vulnerable are two-wheeler riders as there have been several incidents of them hitting the median or parked vehicles, or falling into drains and injuring or killing themselves. ``Several people complain that policemen harass the public in the name of checking but it is for everybody's safety that one has to go through the checks,'' Sood pointed out. Just one drink! The most common complaint from people who are caught for drunken driving is - ``I had just one drink.'' According to the law, the permissible alcohol level in the blood is about 30 mg per 100 ml of blood. Generally, a bottle of beer or a peg of whiskey or rum doesn't exceed the limit. But even that depends on several combined factors like the physique of the person, whether the alcohol was consumed on an empty stomach or the speed at which the peg was downed. CASEBOOK Year - No. of cases * 2004: 19,412 * 2005: 27,673 * 2006: 27,264 * 2007: 27,644 * 2008: 30,593 * Bangalore's 2008 records show a substantial jump in the number of cases in the city 30,593 as against 27,644 in 2007. * Roughly translates to an average of about 83 cases per day * Traffic police say this number is small, considering the lack of personnel and cases going u nnoticed

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