How many times have we heard and read the heeding “Don’t Drink and Drive”. The Traffic Control Department has on numerous occasions issued these warnings and at several checkpoints stopped passengers in the middle of the night and have asked them to undergo a breathalyser test. They have booked them in for a few hours in prison and/or asked them to pay a hefty fine for the same.
Recently a spate of these cases has had women being caught in a state of stupor ‘and’ stupidity. The case of advocate Jahnvi Gadkar who crashed her Audi Q3 into a taxi in the wee hours, had three times the alcohol permitted in her blood. The question that emerges uppermost in one’s mind is that when you can afford a luxurious car like Audi why can’t you hire a chauffeur? If Jahnvi felt like speeding and enjoying a ride then she could have gone for long drive on the weekend on any morning. That way you can booze through the night and the same aspect is applicable for all the other women who want to go out drinking. Another two incidents took place a few days later and in both the cases the women refused to get out of the car. TV channels displayed the visuals of a hefty woman in a jeep around 40 who said that she would not come out of the vehicle and dared traffic police officials to do whatever they want to. In another incident, the Mumbai Police had a tough time persuading woman driver Nidhi Parikh to come out of the car. In both cases the police had to break the locks to take the accused out of the vehicle.
While we are at it let’s not forget the women who bring out these drunken drivers who heckle. They are the other simple and strong woman constables who will never be able to afford something like expensive cars but who command respect when they are called in to handle these passengers. Whenever you see them you feel a sense of security and they exude their inner strength in such situations.
The important aspect is that irrespective of your gender, it’s okay to party. Whenever you feel you’ve had consumed too much alcohol and is not accompanied by a driver, hop into a cab. You can park your car with the hotel valet till you get it the next day. If your partying at a friend’s place stay over the night there. Just by behaving in a more responsible fashion we will be able to avoid these mishaps.
Allka V Aswani
