‘Even if a few drivers are careful, lives can be saved’

After a crackdown on drink driving, traffic police have now taken up a campaign against rash driving. Deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Harish Baijal tells DNA’s Neeta Kolhatkar that the police will not allow any more blood on the mean streets.

Don’t you think this campaign against rash driving should’ve preceded the drink driving initiative?
I do not want to dwell on the past. I think it’s sufficient for us to now get after those who believe they can dodge the law and drive recklessly. I simply want this campaign to be successful

What prompted you to initiate this campaign, and how will you step it up?
This campaign is a corollary to the one against drink driving. We lose nearly 560 lives a year to rash driving. We have just started the first phase; the second will begin after Ganesh Utsav. We are also going to step up action against dumpers and other heavy vehicles which are seen to run over innocent bystanders. I have seen heavy vehicles drive in the extreme right lane reserved for light vehicles. This endangers lives, and hampers the smooth flow of traffic on highways.

What about rash driving by youngsters who speed around the city at night?
We carried out a small experiment in June, the day the Class XII results were declared. We stepped up vigil only in the western suburbs and registered 60 cases of rash driving in just two hours. If that was the case in just one part of the city, we realised it must be much worse in all of Mumbai.

How did you sensitise your men before the campaigns began?
We needed meticulous planning to make the drives successful. We also needed to sensitise the staff, which was not difficult because our own policemen had sought more action against those who show scant respect for the law. Despite perceptions that offenders can bribe their way out, I am proud to say that till now, not a single policeman has let an offender go. We seniors are present on the spot, and our men have seen how we deal with offenders, no matter who they are. That helps in sensitisation.

For the first time, even rash driving offenders are being jailed. Why was this punitive step not taken earlier?
Like drink driving, we apply Sections 183 and 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act to rash driving too. We are not out to send people to jail, but they must be made aware of the seriousness of their offence. Earlier, when we charged a Rs2,000 fine, most offenders paid up without a fuss and then never showed up in court, as they were bound to. Clearly, for people who drove cars worth several lakhs, a penalty like that was a pittance they would rather forfeit than appear in court.

Has there been pressure from influential people on you ,or your staff, to let off their friends and relatives who were caught for traffic offences?
Of course, there has been pressure. I receive calls from many influential people asking for their children or relatives to be let off. I counter that by asking why they had allowed their children to drink and drive, in the first place. They want us to be lenient, fully knowing this is an offence. Thankfully, our senior officers have supported our action and not put pressure on us.

Have you faced pressure from any ministers of the state?
No comment.

The traffic police have also initiated a billboard campaign where they flash information on digital display boards. Do you think this will help increase awareness?
There are more educated, influential and rich people breaking traffic rules than common people. These displays will definitely help make people more aware. Even if 100 people change their road manners, many lives will be saved.