The Bulletin on Road accidents which was released on Wednesday by the Cyberabad Traffic Police revealed that a total of 11 accidents occurred in Cyberabad on August 31 alone, out of which eight accidents were a result of drunk driving. Most of the drunk driving cases were against bike and autorickshaw drivers. Other reasons for accidents were rash driving and over speeding according to the bulletin. There have been 400 deaths and 1,910 injuries due to road accidents till the month of August this year in Cyberabad. 

The Cyberabad Police say that they have adopted a multipronged approach to reduce the number of drunk driving cases.   

Speaking to TNM, SM Vijay Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic said, “People who are seemingly in drunken condition are being subjected to either a Breathalyser test with proper precautions or a blood test in the hospital.” 

When asked about the precautions used for the breathalyzer test he said, “People feel that multiple people use the same straw which is a misconception. Different straws are used each time and the used ones are disposed of immediately.” 

“The safety of the Traffic police is the most important thing. They are performing the Breathalyser test only after wearing PPE, masks and gloves while also ensuring proper hand hygiene,” he added.

He also said that serious cases were being booked on drunk drivers who commit fatal accidents and that the police have increased patrolling to invoke fear in people so that they do not violate any rules. 

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) recently released data which showed that Telangana stood tenth among all states in road mishap fatalities. As many as 6,964 people lost their lives in accidents while 21,999 people got injured. The state recorded 21,570 road accidents in 2019. The state also stood fourth in the country with 177 deaths due to driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol in the year 2019.