Goemkarponn desk
PORVORIM: Over the past 29 months, drunk driving has been the cause of 60 traffic accidents, despite the fact that 5,667 drivers have been fined by the state police for driving or riding while intoxicated.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant disclosed the alarming statistics in response to a written query posed by Mandrem MLA Jit Arolkar during the state legislative assembly’s current monsoon session.
Drunk driving was the cause of 37 traffic accidents in 2022; this number dropped to 16 in 2023. According to the response, drunk driving resulted in seven accidents this year through June 15. There were 1,509 cases of drunk driving in 2022; that number increased to 1,858 in 2023.
According to the Chief Minister, 2,300 cases of drunk driving have been filed against drivers as of June 15. Speaking about the steps being taken to combat social evil, Sawant stated that police officers, including those from the traffic cell, are stationed at key locations to keep an eye on traffic.
Offenders are booked in accordance with the provisions of the relevant Motor Vehicle Act/Rules.
The Chief Minister stated that in addition to raising awareness of the grave consequences of drunk driving, special drives are occasionally organized to discourage it.
According to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, there have been 272 recorded road accidents involving rental cars or bikes since 2019.
From June 20, 2024, to the present, there have been 215 traffic accidents involving rental cars. In response to a query posed by Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai, Sawant stated in writing that there were 57 accidents involving rent-a-bikes during the same time period.
According to the information provided, there were 64 incidents of stunt driving, reckless driving, and driving in permitted areas, such as the beach, involving rent-a-cabs, compared to just two cases involving rent-a-bikes.
Regarding whether the home department has access to GPS data from the devices placed in approved rental cars, Sawant clarified that the traffic police do not.
It is important to remember that, according to the police, the percentage of road fatalities increased by 7% overall in 2023, but the number of two-wheeler riders who died in accidents rose by over 15%.
Road accident statistics show that 290 people died in 2023 and 271 in 2022; 176 riders of two wheels died in 2023 and 152 motorcyclists and scooterists died in 2022.
