Only 13 women charged with drunk-driving in Mumbai since June 2007

Ever since the city traffic police initiated its anti-drunk driving campaign in the metropolis, a merely 13 women have been found behind the wheels under the influence of alcohol.

A total of 37,988 motorists have been charged with drunk driving since June 2007 when the traffic police, in an attempt to bring down accidents, began its crack down on motorists driving vehicles after consuming alcohol.

Of the total 37,988 offenders, 13 are women while the rest are men, according to the statistics available with traffic police. However, there are no repeat female offenders.

"We do not differentiate between men and women while conducting tests on motorists. Even if we find slight sign that a motorist is driving the vehicle under the influence of alcohol, we book him/her," said deputy police commissioner (traffic) S Salunkhe.

The numbers indicate that females prefer not to drive after drinks, which is a good sign, Salunkhe observed.

Of the 13 women charged with drunk driving, two were sentenced to one-day imprisonment while four had to sit inside the court as punishment till the court finishes its
proceedings for the day.

Two had to pay fine and lose their licenses while two had been fined. Three cases are still pending in the court, traffic police said. "They (women offenders) become so embarrassed after being caught for drunk driving that they promise not to repeat the act. The humiliation might be refraining them from repeating the same crime," the DCP said.

"But this does not mean that men are not embarassed when caught. Many a times, they think that they could escape after the crime," he said.

"Although there would be less women driving the vehicles compared to men, only 13 cases against the women for drunk and driving is a good sign," Salunkhe added.

Among the 13 offenders, 10 are aged between 20 to 30 years which is a worrying factor, Salunkhe said adding that parents should educate their children as to how driving after
drinking is hazardous.

So far, a total of 18,071 motorists were sentenced to simple imprisonment whereas linceses of 17,418 have been suspended. A total of Rs7.59crore fine was collected since the drive began.