Drunk driving has always been a ubiquitous problem, especially in India. It is harmful to the people walking on the road or it can prove to be equally fatal for the driver as well! But not in Hyderabad, anymore.

Hyderabad has come up with a new traffic rule: If anyone is found to be driving after getting drunk, he/she would have to hold up a placard at the traffic signal for 3 hours a day and that too for 3 days.

And some community service as well for those 3 days. This punishment is slight different from Bangalore where people are stopped and made to watch a documentary for 2 hours. And the community service include – Going to government hospitals to accomplish some tasks. They may also face a month in jail.

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Have people been caught lately?

Yes! They have been. Around 36 people have been caught and they have been put to social service. A Hyderabad police opines that the resulting embarrassment might do the job. He says that you can imagine a well-to-do family member holding up a placard in public! Obviously, he’d want to rush back, right?

This move is good because:

1. Paying a fine was too old-school. Also, because of this, most people used to bribe the traffic policemen successfully and thus this issue was not addressed.

2. Holding a placard in the traffic can also spread awareness among other people.

3. The resulting embarrassment would perhaps put an end to the perpetrator who drinks and drives.

There’s still that all-important question – why are Indians drinking so much and, concurrently, why are they getting behind the wheel after?

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