New Year night drunk driving: 3 motorists die,14 accidents reported, 77 booked

Hameed Ashraf | NT

Bengaluru: The late hours of New Year's Eve saw several vehicle accidents in the city.

The Traffic Police recorded 14 accidents during the early hours of January 1, among which at least four were fatal resulting in the death of three people here.

The first incident was reported from Bellandur Traffic Police Station limits where a techie died in a collision between a car and an auto-rickshaw.

The deceased was identified as Ravi Karthikeyan, 28, a resident of Kasavanahalli.

Following inspection, it was revealed that the incident took place around 12:45 am near an apartment in Sarjapur.

Ravi along with his three friends were travelling in an autorickshaw when a speeding car crashed into them, the police said. Five people including the auto-driver sustained injuries following which they were taken to a hospital.

While Ravi succumbed to his injuries, the others survived. A case was registered and an investigation is underway. Second incident was reported from Hennur Traffic Police Station limits where a 22-year-old biker died after losing his balance and crashing into a road divider.

Identified as Chethan, a resident of Kacharakanahalli, the deceased was returning from a party around 4 am when the incident took place near Kothanur Main Road, the police said.

The police also said that the deceased was overspeeding due to which he lost control of his bike and crashed into a road divider. Suffering severe injuries, Chethan lost a lot of blood.

A few locals and motorists shifted him to a hospital where he died without responding to the treatment.

Another incident took place in Whitefield Traffic Police Station limits, where a youth died. Two friends who were riding home after taking part in the New Year Celebrations, rammed into an electric pole.

The police said that the two hailed from Uttar Pradesh and the incident took place around 12:35 am near Nallurahalli Road while they were returning to their PG accommodation in Siddapura.

One of them, identified as Dheeraj, died on the spot while his friend survived with minor injuries. It was learnt that Dheeraj was working as a painter here.

A case was registered by the Whitefield Traffic Police.

Drunk and Drive checks

At least 77 people were booked by the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) for drinking and driving on New Year night.

To prevent road accidents, the cops set up multiple checkpoints in the city and caught people who were driving after getting drunk.

Speaking to News Trail on Monday, Joint commissioner of Police, Traffic, MN Anucheth, said that of all the persons checked for Drink and Drive on the night of December 31 and early January 1 morning, 78 were booked for violation.

Earlier, the BTP had warned residents not to indulge in drunk driving. The cops also announced frequent checks across all major locations in Bengaluru till January 1.

However, the cases booked on New Year night were less than the cases booked last week. During the Christmas week, 146 drunk driving cases were registered in Bengaluru.

In a special drive carried out by the BTP from December 21, over 717 vehicle drivers were booked for drinking and driving in the city.

The traffic police officials inspected more than 27,280 vehicles in a span of 9 days, according to the data.