India, April 28 -- The fivefold increase in fines for drunk driving has clearly not deterred city motorists if the numbers are anything to go by. The number of people apprehended while driving under the influence has quadrupled, prompting the Mumbai traffic police to start registering FIRs against drunk drivers, and taking steps to cancel their driving licenses and impound their vehicles.

In 2023, the Mumbai traffic police nabbed 2,562 drunk drivers. Despite the fine for drunk driving going up from Rs.2,000 to Rs.10,000 for the first offence and Rs.15,000 for subsequent offences, in 2024 the number of inebriated drivers caught by the Mumbai traffic police rose to 9,462, marking an almost fourfold increase over the previous year.

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