Road accidents: Drastic drop in Dimapur’s numbers

Police say most cases are direct or indirect results of driving under influence of alcohol

Eastern Mirror Desk Dimapur, Feb. 2: Drunken driving, also called driving under the influence (DUI) is one major contributor to road accidents in India. In 2011, a report from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways stated that drunken driving was one of the leading causes of road accidents and attributed as many as 27,152 accidents to it. Nagaland is no different from the rest of the country. L Mhathung Patton, the officer-in-charge (OC) of Dimapur Traffic Police, Zone-I, admitted that most of the motor accidents that occur in Nagaland were directly or indirectly due to drunken driving. According to studies, a drunken driver is more likely to meet with an accident than a sober driver as alcohol reduces the ability to concentrate. It decreases reaction time and hampers vision due to dizziness. Alcohol dampens fear and incites humans to take risks. All these factors while driving cause accidents, and many a times prove fatal. Currently, Section 185 in The Motor Vehicles Act makes drunken driving a criminal offence in India. As per the Motor Vehicle Act, the first offence would result in imprisonment for a term of up to six months, or a fine which may extend to INR 2000; or with both. Second or subsequent offence, if committed within three years of the commission of the previous offence, would lead to imprisonment for a term of up to two years, or a fine of INR 3000; or with both. The legal limit of blood alcohol content (BAC) in a person in India is 30 milligram (mg) of alcohol per 100 millilitre (ml) of blood. If a person’s BAC is found exceeding 30 mg. per 100 ml. of blood, detected by a breath analyser test, he/she is said to be driving under the influence or drunk driving. According to Patton, drunken driving accidents in Nagaland mostly happen among the youth. He said that very few cases of accidents due to drunken driving had been reported among older citizens. According to him, most accidents in Dimapur occur between 1 am to 4 am—the quietest period in of the day. ‘However, very rare cases of vehicular accidents are reported during the day as the city’s traffic is often congested, which inhibits rash driving,’ said Patton. Conversely, there have been reports and instances of police personnel performing their duty under the influence of alcohol, especially those deployed for night assignments. Previously posted at Kohima, Patton was of the opinion that drivers at the capital were more cautious and disciplined. Interestingly, Nagaland experienced a significant drop in the number of road accidents and subsequent injuries or fatalities in 2018, compared to 2017. Figures received from the office of Dimapur Traffic Police revealed a difference of 108 in the number of road accidents recorded in 2018 and 2017—194 and 302 cases respectively. Hence, with the decrease in accidents, the numbers of injuries and fatalities also dropped considerably in 2018. In 2017, 202 injuries and 14 fatalities were reported; in 2018, 111 injuries and four fatalities occurred, according to the police data. Patton said that citizens in Nagaland are slowly learning the rules and regulations concerning road safety. He was of the opinion that media can play an important role in spreading awareness about road transport to the masses by highlighting ‘current traffic situations’ in the city, and enlighten the citizens about the dos and don’ts, to be followed while commuting in the public transport, or driving.