22 penalised on Day 1 of drive against drunken driving

The Delhi Traffic Police have launched a special drive to curb drunken truck driving in the city. Special check points have been set up at city borders between 11 pm and 1 am, and drivers are being stopped for breathalyser tests. If the drivers fail the test, their trucks will be impounded.

The step comes after an analysis conducted by cops revealed that 54 per cent of accidents involving Heavy Traffic Vehicles (HTV) this year took place between 11 pm to 2 am.

Several teams have been constituted under the supervision of traffic inspectors to conduct random checking of heavy vehicles at borders. In fact, as many as 22 drivers were prosecuted on the first night, according to a statement by the Traffic police department.

As per cops, action has been taken against 26,491 drunk drivers, including 197 HTV and 949 LGV, till November 15 this year. The heavy goods vehicles were found involved in 136 cases of fatal accidents till November 15, compared to 148 last year .

"Analysis indicates that 54 per cent accidents involving HTY took place at night between 11 pm and 2 am. As many as 35 per cent of the hit-and-run cases also took place between 10 pm and 4 am.

"Regular checking of these vehicles is expected to effectively reduce the number of accidents. Similar action will also be taken against dangerous driving in near future," the statement added.