New Year 2025: Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai See Spike in Drunk Driving Cases Amid Festive Celebrations

Drunk driving cases in Mumbai surged by 18% on New Year’s Eve, rising from 283 incidents recorded on December 31, 2023, to 333 cases this Tuesday night. Similar trends were observed across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, with cases in Thane increasing slightly from 297 to 311, and Navi Mumbai reporting a rise from 236 to 266 cases. Police officials attributed the uptick to intensified checks conducted during the celebrations.

Thane traffic police booked 58 pillion riders for accompanying drunk two-wheeler riders on New Year’s Eve, adding to the region's robust traffic enforcement efforts. Meanwhile, Mumbai police filed 5,670 FIRs under the Motor Vehicles Act and issued 17,800 challans for various traffic violations. Major offenses included obstructing traffic flow (2,800+ challans), riding without helmets (1,900+ challans), and autorickshaw drivers refusing passengers (1,976 challans).

Nearly 2,000 traffic policemen, supported by local police, conducted checks across Mumbai from 8 PM Tuesday to 5 AM Wednesday, examining over 46,000 vehicles at 107 nakabandi points. The Mumbai Police recovered ₹89 lakh in fines. Ahead of New Year’s Eve, innovative campaigns like 'traffic Santa' and 'bottle mascots' were launched to promote road safety, with Santas spreading awareness at 200 locations and gifting keychains to rule violators as a pledge to follow traffic norms.

The Turbhe traffic unit in Navi Mumbai reported the highest number of drunk driving cases on New Year's Eve, with 32 incidents. "Inebriated motorists were stopped from driving further. Family members were called to retrieve the vehicles, or a constable delivered them to the motorists' residences," said Dilip Gujar, senior inspector of the Vashi traffic unit.