Mumbai’s drunk driving case exposes the need for more effective ways to curb the menace
By Vijay Patil
Afresh incident of drunk driving that claimed the lives of two people in Mumbai has raised alarm bells on our existing systems to curb alcohol-related driving mishaps.
Janhavi Ajit Gadkar, a corporate lawyer with Reliance Industries Limited, had around 200 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of blood, way over the permissible limit of 30 mg per 100 ml. “This will effectively strengthen our case against her,” said a senior police officer, requesting anonymity, to Hindustan Times.
Gadkar was driving her Audi Q3 on the wrong side of the road when her car rammed into a taxi carrying five passengers late on June 8, killing two people. The taxi driver, Mohammed Sayyed, 57, died on the spot. Businessman Salim Sabuwala, 50, who was also in the taxi, succumbed to injuries on way to hospital.
The US has an effective way to deter drunk driving. Offenders are handed a SCRAM (“Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring”) bracelet, also called the “booze bracelet”.
Gadkar has been booked under Section 304 (II) of the IPC for culpable homicide. She has been charged under Section 279 of IPC for rash and negligent driving and faces a maximum of ten years in jail. A local court in Mumbai has remanded her to judicial custody till June 26.
Under Section 185 of Motor Vehicle Act, anyone driving under the influence of alcohol exceeding 30 mg per 100 ml blood (that is detected in a breath analyser test) faces up to six months imprisonment or a penalty of `2,000 or both. Gadkar had several times the permissible level. It is a clear case of high intake of alcohol by the accused while driving.
In an earlier incident that shows Gadkar as a repeated offender, her car had hit two security guards on a bike. The guards sustained minor injuries and the case was settled as Gadkar paid damages to the victims.
The case exposes the gaps in our system that has so far not been able to curb the menace of driving under the influence of alcohol.
EFFECTIVE CRACKDOWN
The US has an effective way to crack down against drunk drivers. Offenders are handed a SCRAM (“Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring”) bracelet, also called the “booze bracelet”. It is fitted on to habitual offenders banned by the courts from driving after being charged with drunk driving.
The electronic device tests alcohol intake every 30 minutes, and the data is uploaded automatically. The authorities can thus gauge the intake of the offending person.
This system has reduced the number of repeated offenders in a significant way. The effectiveness of the device made the United Kingdom adopt the same system in 2014. Magistrates can order offenders to wear the bracelet for three months. If the offender manages to avoid alcohol for the said period, punishment is waived off. The device records the wearer’s alcohol intake by measuring air and perspiration emissions, every 30 minutes. If the tests show up an alcohol level of over 0.02 mg, a case is registered.