Ola to help Delhi Police curb drunken driving

Taxi aggregator Ola today said it has partnered with Delhi Police to help them curb drunken driving on the roads in the national capital.
As part of its 'Help Delhi Police' programme, Ola has installed digital breathalysers at party hot-spots and high footfall areas to help patrons ascertain if their alcohol in blood ratio is within the prescribed limits, Ola said in a statement.
It will also offer free rides to people to go back home instead of driving in a drunken state, it added.
Through this initiative, Ola is aiming to educate and sensitise citizens on road safety, thereby helping Delhi Police focus their scarce manpower resources towards constructive policing, it said.

According to reports, over 25,000 drunken driving challans have been issued every year since 2012. In 2015, 25,958 such challans were issued.
"Safe roads are a priority for us and instances like drunken driving not only lead to loss of human life and property, but also bring tremendous pressure on the system to curb these issues," Madhur Verma, Deputy Commissioner of Police, North District Delhi said.

While Delhi Police is doing a lot to curb drunken driving in Delhi, initiatives like these will go a long way in making roads and cities safer, he added.
On new year's eve, Ola had deployed more than 500 shuttles to ferry over 10,000 people to their homes from popular party hot-spots around Delhi-NCR.

"Through this campaign, we are encouraging people to take a safe ride back home instead of driving drunk, post partying and do their bit to make our roads and cities safer...
"We will soon extend similar programmes to other parts of the city and will continue to contribute to Delhi Police's efforts to curb the menace of drunken driving," Ola Business Head North Deep Singh said.