Mumbai drink-driving deaths fall

By Zubair Ahmed
BBC News, Mumbai

Mumbai's roads claim many lives every year

The number of deaths from drink-driving has fallen to its lowest level in five years in the Indian city of Mumbai.

Since a campaign against drink-driving was launched two months ago, the figures dropped from 66 deaths in June to nine in August, officials say.

Nearly 600 people have been jailed for drink driving in that time, including high profile businessmen and bankers.

The campaign was introduced to curb the dramatic rise in the number of deaths on the roads in the past two years.

'Zero tolerance'

Since the start of the campaign, Mumbai (Bombay) police have registered more than 4,300 cases of drink-driving.

Those jailed have to spend between one day and three weeks in prison.

Mumbai's traffic police chief, Vijay Kambley, believes their message is reaching the city's motorists - who are rapidly sobering up.

He says that now they catch one drunk driver in 40 breath tests rather than one in 20 when the campaign began.

"We have a zero tolerance policy against drunk drivers," he says.

But the managers of the city's busy nightclubs and discos are complaining of falling attendances.

Mumbai, India's most populous city, is by far the country's largest consumer of alcoholic drinks, thanks largely to its thriving nightlife.