Fatal accidents, drunken driving on rise in Delhi
By IANSSaturday, January 2, 2010
NEW DELHI - Even though Delhi witnessed a drop in the total number of accidents in 2009 as compared to 2008, cases of fatal accidents and drunken driving increased during the same period, Police Commissioner Y.S. Dadwal said Saturday.
“As compared to 8,108 accidents in 2008, 6,752 accidents were reported last year, marking a decrease of 17 percent. However, the number of fatal accidents increased from 1,927 in 2008 to 2,165 last year,” Dadwal told reporters during the annual press conference of the Delhi Police.
He said cases of drunken driving, dangerous driving and overspeeding also went up in 2009.
In 2008, the number of tickets issued for drunken driving, dangerous driving and overspeeding were 7,579, 132,467 and 183,544 respectively. For 2009, the figures were 12,109 (60 percent increase), 236,671 (79 percent increase) and 212,287 (16 percent increase) respectively.
“There will be a paradigm shift in traffic movement if everyone takes a pledge not to break the rules,” Dadwal pointed out.
Delhi Police issued a total of 41.77 lakh tickets for various offences in 2009, an increase of 22 percent from 34.1 lakh in 2008.
Cases of jumping red lights also increased by 17 percent to 617,622 in 2009 from 529,026 in 2008.
