Trivandrum Police organizing DUI class for drunk drivers

[darklord]

The penalty for drunk driving has, arguably, never been more sobering.

The police, this week, gave 60-odd motorists caught on the charge of drunk driving two stark choices. Face prosecution or sit through a three-hour traffic education class.

The class was held in a hall at the Police Commissioner’s office here at 10 a.m. The students were mostly young salesmen, autorickshaw drivers, middle-aged blue-collar workers, and the occasional pensioner.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/...cle5217048.ece

I understand that the police has been utilizing this tactic for sometime now. Paying a fine ends the matter there. Inconvenience, now that is something few will be willing to go through.

[GTO]

Reminds me of a recent initiative of the Delhi Traffic Police.

NEW DELHI: The next time you get caught driving drunk or violating traffic rules, you might be sent back to school! In an innovative move, Delhi Traffic Police has drawn up a "correctional course" for those who violate traffic rules. They could be send for a 15-day course -four hours daily-learning "human behaviour while on road" and watching films relating to "road safety".

The training schedule, designed by traffic police, will include classes on traffic drills, repercussions of drunk driving and road rage besides other issues. It is being conducted by a special faculty, comprising of officials of the road safety cell and other traffic cops. Two violators have already taken the course.

These steps have been taken following a trial court's order for formulating a training programme in which persons convicted for traffic violations can be sent by the courts to "receive instructions in driving and traffic safety and can be educated in traffic laws and road safety rules".

Source & Full Article : Times of India

[supremeBaleno]

Indeed inconvenience helps in reforming than even a steep fine.

BTW, the Chennai Traffic Police (CTP) have gone a step further in the inconvenience stakes. Instead of just charging a fine of few thousand rupees (which most people are wont to pay and drive off), they now seize the car, which can only be collected the next day after a trial at the traffic-court and payment of the imposed fine. This means you not only don't have your car, but the trial takes up most of the work-day and hurts folks more than a fine. A friend had his new City taken away for the night & which he collected the next day after spending half a day & more at the court. It did help in the sense that he now uses a cab/auto when he has had a couple drinks.

[darklord]

Apparently, Trivandrum Medical College has witnessed a drop of 40% in accident cases and directly attributes it to the new measures of MVD and Police.

Unfortunately, only in Malayalam:
http://www.mathrubhumi.com/story.php?id=397567

• Approximately 400 accident cases are handled by TMC everyday.
• Of which about 70% are vehicular accidents.
• Of the vehicular accidents, about 80% involves alcohol.

The report further notes that call taxis are now receiving approximately 50 calls in the evening from the city's bars.


Good job by the police and MVD.

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by darklord

Apparently, Trivandrum Medical College has witnessed a drop of 40% in accident cases and directly attributes it to the new measures of MVD and Police.

Now that's a tangible benefit of enforcing something properly.

Hope they stopped picking cars with a black roof or a custom grill, and focused more on drunken driving and other traffic rules violation which directly causes accidents.

Don't kill the enthusiast! But wipe out rule violations and ignorant driving. MVD and Kerala Police, are you listening?

[Arch-Angel]

Great to see our MVD and the police coming up with such initiatives to try and reduce the number of accidents caused mostly by people who indulge in "spirited" driving. This will definitely bear fruit since the video content and definitely the guy talking about the DUI must have struck a chord somewhere in the hearts of atleast a few of the offenders. But people seriously need to be taught everything there is before they even are let behind the wheel. The menace wont stop unless licenses are given to only those who dont indulge in such driving practices but also to only those who know the rules clearly.

OT: I, for a second, thought that the police were teaching people how to drive safely while under influence . so much for the title.

[darklord]

Originally Posted by Arch-Angel

OT: I, for a second, thought that the police were teaching people how to drive safely while under influence . so much for the title.

I, at least, think it is way better than Hindu's original title:
Class on drunk driving for motorists in Thiruvananthapuram

[supremeBaleno]

Good to know that accident cases have come down, thanks to strict enforcement. So many more lives could be saved if Helmet-rule is also strcitly enforced all over
India - Chennai started off well, but then the drive got diluted and is now more about meeting the montly target/quota.

Also, I think what is good is that the enforcement-drive is not limited to cities, but seems to be Kerala-wide. In the small town (Mavelikara) where my parents live,
the enforcement is so strict that it has become a no-no to drive drunk. I have even seen cops using breathalyzer on auto-drivers at auto-stands.

Also, one interesting thing in Kerala is the cops usually position themselves around 200ms from the bars and thus are able to catch a lot of folks riding/driving out after drinking.
But never seen Chennai cops positioned in the vicinity of bars which would have helped them enforce better. Due to pressure from bar-lobby since business would be affected ?

[Arch-Angel]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

have never seen cops in Chennai positioned in the vicinity of bars ....their business would be affected ?

Since most of the times they themselves are inside bars . I am yet to see serious police measures and any measure, if taken yet to serve as a deterrent to would be offenders. If you have cash, one can get away with just about anything.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Good to know that accident cases have come down, thanks to strict enforcement. So many more lives could be saved if Helmet-rule is also strcitly enforced all over India - Chennai started off well, but then the drive got diluted and is now more about meeting the montly target/quota.

Looks like Rishiraj Singh is the best thing that has happened to Kerala recently. Over the last 2 weekends at Kerala, I am seeing close to 99% of the bikers wearing helmets, which is the result of strict enforcement. After paying a few hundreds as penalty for helmet-less riding, people get it that it is better to instead invest some money in a helmet (ISI branded) and use it. Next step planned by Rishiraj Singh is to enforce it for pillion riders too, since in most accidents, the pillion-riders are the ones who are injured more.

With other steps taken by him like reining-in the speeding killers (aka private buses), enforcement against DUI, cameras across the state to check speeding & other bad-driving, looks like Kerala is on the road to being a better state to drive in.

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

With other steps taken by him like reining-in the speeding killers (aka private buses), enforcement against DUI, cameras across the state to check speeding & other bad-driving, looks like Kerala is on the road to being a better state to drive in.

Exactly. Now the major thing to do is take strict actions against private buses when it comes to reckless driving, lane discipline, stopping in the middle of the road rather than in front of the bus stops. Also one thing I dont support is using the wrong lane to outrun the signal. The cops support this at one particular junction (Kundanoor signal). I know this is to minimize the traffic hold up but there has been many close calls here and am totally against this. IMO, cops shouldnt support this. Resurface that junction, widen the free left and it's good to go rather than using the wrong lane.