The statement reportedly made by the Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar that he intends to soon install alcometers outside pubs and taverns is a welcome step as incidences of drunken-driving are on the rise. If implemented strictly it will obviously bring down, if not totally eliminate, cases of accidents wherein a drunk driver is sitting behind the steering wheels. It however remains to be seen as how this step will be implemented.
There are several questions that arise. If there is a group of people who are leaving the pub after drinks will it be possible to check the alcohol level of all of them? If one of them happens to have alcohol level less than the prescribed limit then will the police ask him to drive the vehicle? And what happens if a guy who is drunk takes control of the wheels when the car has left the place? It must be said that pubs and taverns are not the only places where people have drinks. Party animals could get high at a friend’s place after a late night party and then proceed to their respective homes by driving their car even if they have consumed alcohol beyond the prescribed limits thereby amounting to drunken driving.
What if a person consumes alcohol at his residence and drives the car in a drunken state? How can one stop such drunken driving? It must be said that the only way to put a halt to drunken driving is for party people, to see that when they go for a late-night parties in a group that one of them remains sober so that he/she is able to drive the group back. Alternatively the group can hire a cab which will take them to the place where the late-night party is being held and back. Pubs and taverns could also keep a list of the contact numbers of taxi operators who can drop those who have had one too much back to their homes. These persons can then collect their vehicles the next morning when normalcy returns.
Rules and restrictions may not be able to totally eliminate the menace of drunken driving. It is for each one to drink responsibly and if one has had a lot of drinks then the most sensible thing to do would be to hire a cab to go back home. A drunken driver is a danger not just to himself/herself but other road-users and pedestrians as well.
