Drunk? Hire a cab this New Year Eve

Every one in city is busy planning their New Year Eve. So is the Mumbai Traffic Police Department. The difference is they are not preparing to celebrate but to ensure that everyone else celebrates safely.

In light of the upcoming New Year’s Eve celebrations, the department has decided to launch a road safety week between December 24 and 31.

If you plan to drink on December 31, keep a chauffeur handy or hire a cab. You may not get a chance to complain about the scarcity of taxis because the traffic department is also trying to make maximum cabs available.

Addressing the media at the traffic police headquarters in Worli, joint commissioner of police (traffic) Vivek Phansalkar said, “We have also held meetings with the heads of traffic unions appealing to them to ensure that maximum number of taxis stay available on December 31 night so that people are not inconvenienced and party-goers are not tempted to drive their own vehicles under the influence of alcohol.”

“Apart from the intensified drives, we have also contacted movie halls and theatres across the city to display slides at the start of the movie with warnings about drunken driving. We will also install signboards with similar messages at throughout the city,” he said.

The traffic police will also seek help from NCC and certain NGOs. There are plans of distributing pamphlets to motorists too.

Phansalkar said that from January 1 to November 30 the police have registered 21,38,312 cases which include drunk driving and other traffic offences. Rs22.2 crore has been collected in fines this year.