Motorists found driving under the influence of alcohol and
breaking other traffic rules will now have their driving licences suspended for
three months in Maharashtra. This was announced by the state government on
Friday to deal with the menace of drunken driving and also reduce accidents on
roads.
Speaking to reporters at Mantralaya,
Transport Minister Diwakar Raote said in 24 hours beginning on New Year eve,
Traffic Police registered 10,534 offences. Of these, 705 related to drunken
driving, 1,906 to driving without helmets 1,906 and 7,923 were related to other
violations. In view of the constant registration of higher number of cases of
drunken driving, the government has decided to suspend driving licences of the
offenders for three months. A similar action will be taken against those found
indulging in rash and over-speeding, jumping traffic signals, overloading goods
vehicles, carrying passengers in goods vehicles and speaking on mobile phones
while driving, Raote said.
The
Minister said his endeavour was to drastically reduce incidents of drunken
driving and traffic violations.In
Mumbai, 16,324 cases of drunken driving were recorded in 2011. Last year, this
number stood at 14,602, he said.
After the
installation of CCTVs in Mumbai, the Traffic Department will now depute
officers of the Regional Transport Office (RTO) to act against road rule
violations, he said.
The
minister said wearing of helmets on two-wheelers shall be made mandatory all
over the state. Those found not using helmets or wearing seat belts while
driving will have to compulsorily attend two hours of counselling sessions.
Check out how the
problem is addressed in other countries:
Australia -
Immediate loss of license for a minimum of six months if it is your
first offense and a permanent loss for your second offense.
Canada -
First offence: $1,000 fine, 1-year driving prohibition; second
offence: 30 days jail, 2-year driving prohibition; third or subsequent offence:
120 days jail, 3-year driving prohibition.
France -
Your car will be confiscated, three year loss of license, possibility
of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
New Zealand -
A fine of at least $1,000 and depending upon your age and BAC
level, the lose of your license for at least three months.
Norway -
Fines between 6,000 to 8,000 Norwegian krona, which is around $1,000 -
$1,500 US dollars.
Russia -
A first-time offender convicted of a DUI can have their license
suspended for up to two years; In addition, knowingly allowing an intoxicated
person to drive can get your license suspended; Refusing a field or chemical
sobriety test can result in a fifteen day imprisonment.
Costa Rica -
A fine of about $500, loss of license for 2 years, and possible
confiscation of your car or even jail time.
El Salvador -
Anyone with a BAC over 0.01 (which is effectively zero
tolerance), automatic license suspension, seizure of your vehicle and probable
fines.
England -
Lose of license for a minimum 1 year (3 years for 2nd offence if
within 10 years), substantial fine and possibility of up to 6 months
imprisonment.
Finland -
Drivers guilty of driving while intoxicated face a fine or
imprisonment for up to two years.
Sweden -
A BAC over 0.02 will result in fines based upon how much money you
have in the bank, possibly have your car seize and sold off and being sent to
an alcohol treatment program .
Some countries use the same BAC standard as ours:
New Zealand, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Brazil, Canada, the United Kingdom,
and Switzerland. Other countries, most notably Australia, Austria, Belgium,
France, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Norway, South Korea and
Portugal, all use a much lower BAC level for a driver to be considered impaired
— they use 0.05%.
In Japan, any driver with a BAC of 0.03% is
considered intoxicated. The standard is even tougher in Russia and China, where
they use 0.02%. Some countries have zero tolerance when drivers are influenced
by either alcohol or drugs: any BAC above .00 will result in an arrest in
Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bangladesh, and Saudi
Arabia.
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