Special points on highways to check drunk driving in Punjab ADGP

Ludhiana, Jul 16 (PTI) The police will set up special points on the national and state highways to check incidents of drunk-driving, said a senior police officer on Tuesday.
     Additional Director General of Police (Traffic and Road Safety), Amardeep Singh Rai, said the police have ordered 800 new alcometers, which will be distributed across the districts.
     Drunk-driving is a major factor in road accidents and the Punjab Police will take strict action against individuals found driving under the influence of alcohol, he said.
     ADGP Rai also said 27 hi-tech interceptor vehicles are also being procured by the police to tackle over-speeding and reckless driving.
     He also addressed the issue of road accidents caused by stray cattle, stating that approximately 350 deaths are reported annually due to this problem.
     Various departments are actively working to resolve this issue, including the municipal corporations, animal husbandry and others, he said.
     Additionally, 900 e-challan machines have been provided to the districts under the recently launched system in Punjab, he said.
     These measures are expected to further reduce the number of road accidents in Punjab, said the ADGP.
     Rai highlighted the positive impact of deploying the Sadak Surakhya Force (SSF), which has resulted in a 15-20 per cent decrease in road accident fatalities.
     On underage driving, the traffic wing of the district police will collaborate with school managements to educate students on legal provisions related to underage driving in the first phase.
     Strict action will be taken against underage drivers and their parents to address this issue in the next phase, he said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)