Drink & Drive Penalty in India

Your life is valuable and if not for yourself do not drink and drive for the people who are waiting for you at home. It is illegal as per the Motor Vehicle Act 2019 to drink and drive on Indian roads. Drunk driving is considered a criminal offense. In this write-up, you will get to know about the drunk driving fine you might attract and what will you have to go through after getting caught.

Fine for Drunk Driving

Since it is considered a criminal offense in India because it can lead to severe accidents that can end up with anyone dying and as per the National Statistics around 11,000-12,000 people die every year and around 8-9 lakh people get arrested for drunken driving.

If you get caught driving while intoxicated for the first time, you can attract a fine of up to Rs. 10,000 and/or have to go to jail for 6 months. Before the last amendment, the fine for drunken driving was Rs. 2000.

If you get caught the second time then you will have to pay a fine of Rs. 15,000 and/or have to go to jail for 2 years. Before the last revision, for second-time violation, the fine was of Rs. 3,000 and imprisonment for 2 years.

The amount of fine is the same for all types of vehicles whether it is a four-wheeler or two-wheeler or commercial.

What Will You Go Through After Getting Caught for Drunk Driving?

If you get caught drunk driving, the traffic police will make you go through a test to check how drunk are you? They will make you blow in a breathalyzer and if the amount of alcohol is not under 30 mg per 100ml blood then you will be fined.

Case Scenario

Let us tell you about it with a case scenario. Rohan went to a party where he had to drink as it was his best friend’s birthday party. The party went well and he got pretty drunk. Although one of his friends suggested dropping him home, he did not consider it. He started driving and went over the speed limit since the roads were empty at midnight.

However, there was police barricading before a roundabout and the police were checking every vehicle. As soon as they started talking to him and caught him fumbling as he speaks, they asked him to come out of the vehicle. Since he was driving while intoxicated, the policeman made him breathe on the breathalyzer that exceeded the alcohol limit of 30 mg per 100 ml of blood.

He was then fined, the traffic policeman took his license and asked him to appear in court on a particular date after 3 months as the license was revoked for 3 months he could not drive for those 3 months, and then when the court date arrived the judge fined him Rs. 10,000.

As we live in a digital era so you have an option of paying the challan online also. Let us tell you how can you do that.

Online Traffic Challan Payment

• Go on to your state’s transport department website.
• Click on the icon of e-challan
• Enter required details
• Enter your challan number
• Then enter the Captcha code as shown on the screen
• You can use a debit or credit card as a mode of payment.
• You can now also use apps like Paytm, Gpay, or phonepe as a medium of paying for the challan.
• After the payment is done, you will get a message on your registered number and a confirmation receipt.

Offline Traffic Challan Payment

When you get an e-challan you can go to the nearby traffic police station and according to the fine, you can pay for it and clear any of the dues. They will give a receipt of paid fine. Keep it with yourself. You are free now but it does not mean that you violate the traffic rule again as you will have to pay an even more amount the second time. You might also have to face prison time as per the severity of the violation. So how can you avoid the drunk driving penalty?

How to Avoid Drunk Driving Penalty?

• First of all, do not get drunk when you know that you will have to drive.
• In case there is a sudden plan with your friends to get drunk then it Is advised to park your vehicle in a safe place and take a cab home.
• Follow the traffic rules and drive within the speed limit.
• Make sure that you carry all the documents of the car or bike.
• If you cannot find a cab and have to drive home after getting drunk. Try and drive slower than usual.
• Ask any of your friends who are not drunk to drive you home or stay back at your friend’s place.

Wrapping it up

The traffic rules are made for your safety and to maintain the traffic properly. It is as much your duty as it is a traffic policeman’s duty to make sure that you follow the traffic rules, There are traffic police drunk driving fine that you might attract while dring intoxicated. Also, it is advised that you purchase a comprehensive insurance policy that can provide you cover for third-party as well as you. As you can pay the e-challan online you can also purchase the insurance policy online as it will be cost-effective and easier to purchase and comes with several benefits also.