The Coimbatore City Police have registered cases against 178 persons on charges of driving vehicles under the influence of alcohol in special drives conducted from August 23 to 25. The police found 126 two-wheeler riders and 52 four-wheeler drivers, including 18 luxury car owners, driving their vehicles under the influence of alcohol. According to the city police, meetings with bar owners were held and they were instructed to take measures to avoid drunk driving.
Bar owners were advised to take measures to avoid their customers driving back to their residences after consuming alcohol. Bar owners should instruct customers to come with their own driver. If a customer does not have a driver, the bar management should arrange an alternative vehicle or a chauffeur.
The police wanted bar operators to check whether their customers attained the legal age for drinking alcohol and whether they used other addictive substances on the premises. The police should be alerted if bar operators found any customer engaged in suspicious activities. Bar operators should ensure that surveillance cameras were active inside and outside their premises, including parking areas.
Video footages of a day should be stored for a minimum of 30 days and police should have access to them in case of a requirement. If any bar operator violated these instructions, leading to a law and order issue, the police would initiate action against the management and take measures to suspend the bar licence. According to the police, driving under the influence of alcohol attracts a fine upto ₹10,000 and/or upto six months imprisonment as per the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 for the first offence.
The fine goes upto ₹15,000 and/or with an imprisonment upto two years if a person commits the offence for a second time. Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Coimbatore.
