Aren’t we still soft to offences for Drunken Driving ?

Indian Parliament Standing Committee’s tough recommendations that death due to drunken driving should now be seen as culpable homicide not amounting to murder actually leaves a lot to be desired still. It needs to be a lot tougher. India is one place where value of human life is still considered cheap. Haven’t we heard of cases of bleeding accident victims lying on roads seeking help from passing motorists, with to no avail. What has happened to traffic offences like speaking on mobiles while driving endangering the lives of all?

Another suggestion that penalties should be linked to the level of alcohol content is absurd. Police is ill-equipped to ascertain this at the time of booking the offence. The committee also recommended that every vehicle must be insured against third-party liability and a fixed amount from the premium, which can be worked out by the government, must be collected by the insurance agencies towards the corpus of the solatium fund. Also that the compensation amount may be increased to Rs 1 lakh in case of death and Rs 50,000 in case of grievous injury. Also, the compensation amount may be revised annually to factor in inflation.

The million dollar question still remains – all these are measures which are worked to control and penalize the offenders. Should it be that the moment one is found driving with alcohol shouldn’t the licence be impounded immediately like it is in Moscow. But in India you can manage another one immediately. We must remember that allowed to drive on the roads is a privilege the government allows which cannot be taken lightly. If you have to drink, then seek other means of transport, period. Fines are hardly a deterrent. Better impound the vehicle at the first offence. And the fines should be hefty say Rs. 200,000 to Rs.500,000/- and a prison term without bail from 6 months to 2 years depending upon the consequences of the offence like death happening due to it.