Let her drive after the party

MUMBAI: You might be better off if she drives you home after the party. It’s official: women are more sober than men as far as driving goes.

Only three women are among the 12,536 offenders booked by the city police since June 20 when it began its clampdown on drink-driving. The police say they weren’t being lenient towards women, and that both male and female drivers were checked.

“Statistics don’t lie. We noticed during the campaign that women have been extra cautious about drinking and driving, unlike men,” said Dayanad Gavas, an inspector in the traffic police department.  Contd, p5

Amruta Nadkarni, 27-year-old media planner who parties thrice a week, says the thought of spending a night in jail fills her with dread. “I haven’t stopped drinking since the campaign began. But I have fewer drinks now,” she said.

Twenty-four-year-old journalist Renu Abraham agrees: “I think women detest spending a night in jail more than men. That explains why women aren’t caught drink-driving.”

She says she makes it a point to have somebody drive her home, instead of getting behind the wheel after a few drinks. “Many pubs have now started supplying women chauffeurs, so then why take the risk?”

The bulk of the cases of drink-driving - over three-quarters - involved young men below the age of 35. And most of them were from the western suburbs.