There is a wide range of reactions that are voiced by the youngsters of the City, when asked about their experiences with the late-night alcohol checks conducted by the traffic police.
While some have gotten away with drunk driving with a mere bribe of a few hundred rupees, others have managed to avoid the check altogether. Metrolife speaks to Bangaloreans who have been stopped for the check, regardless of whether or not they had actually consumed alcohol at the time.
"There was one time when I wasn't drunk, but had enough to fail the test. After settling for cash, the cop appeared helpful and even warned me about further checks down the road," recalls Praveen, a young professional.
While he had it easy, not everyone can say the same. For Subeh Sharma, a network engineer, the interaction was quite unpleasant.
"The cop threatened me to pay a bribe, else my vehicle would be impounded. Then I told him that I'd rather pay the fine," he says. It was a similar story for Rohit Venkatesh, who works in the City. "I got caught at 1 am. The cop directly asked me for Rs 2,000, but I slipped him Rs 1,200 and escaped," informs Rohit.
Others have just been unlucky when it comes to this situation. "I got caught once and realised after reaching home that the cop had added 'defective headlight' as an extra offence on my challan. Even though the headlight was perfectly fine, I paid the extra fine as stupidity fees for signing something without reading it first," notes Karthik, a lawyer.
However, not everyone is of the same negative opinion. According to Saurabh Chauhan, who runs a law firm, Bangalore police force has some of the most polite policemen. "My wife and I don't drink and I usually drive at night. At the alcohol checks, we have found the police to be professional and to the point in their interactions," he says.
Karan Joseph feels the same, adding that for him, breaking the language barrier makes the experience less tense.
"I haven't had a bad experience with the cops yet. Most have been quite friendly. But then, that might have something to do with me talking to them in Kannada," he notes.
Vishal, a photographer in the City, feels that the reactions of the cops change depending on how intoxicated the person behind the wheel is.
"In most cases, they try to assess how able the person is before they let them pay the fine and leave. This usually involves handing the car over to a person who isn't under influence. But bikes have it worse — they confiscate the vehicle straight away and there's a long period of waiting to get it back," he shares.
Women seem to have it easier than the men, most of the time.
Trisha, who rides a bike, feels that cops are partial to the fairer sex. "Every time I've passed one of the checks, I've not been asked to stop and use the breathalyser. It isn't fair that the treatment is different for us," she concludes.
While some have gotten away with drunk driving with a mere bribe of a few hundred rupees, others have managed to avoid the check altogether. Metrolife speaks to Bangaloreans who have been stopped for the check, regardless of whether or not they had actually consumed alcohol at the time.
"There was one time when I wasn't drunk, but had enough to fail the test. After settling for cash, the cop appeared helpful and even warned me about further checks down the road," recalls Praveen, a young professional.
While he had it easy, not everyone can say the same. For Subeh Sharma, a network engineer, the interaction was quite unpleasant.
"The cop threatened me to pay a bribe, else my vehicle would be impounded. Then I told him that I'd rather pay the fine," he says. It was a similar story for Rohit Venkatesh, who works in the City. "I got caught at 1 am. The cop directly asked me for Rs 2,000, but I slipped him Rs 1,200 and escaped," informs Rohit.
Others have just been unlucky when it comes to this situation. "I got caught once and realised after reaching home that the cop had added 'defective headlight' as an extra offence on my challan. Even though the headlight was perfectly fine, I paid the extra fine as stupidity fees for signing something without reading it first," notes Karthik, a lawyer.
However, not everyone is of the same negative opinion. According to Saurabh Chauhan, who runs a law firm, Bangalore police force has some of the most polite policemen. "My wife and I don't drink and I usually drive at night. At the alcohol checks, we have found the police to be professional and to the point in their interactions," he says.
Karan Joseph feels the same, adding that for him, breaking the language barrier makes the experience less tense.
"I haven't had a bad experience with the cops yet. Most have been quite friendly. But then, that might have something to do with me talking to them in Kannada," he notes.
Vishal, a photographer in the City, feels that the reactions of the cops change depending on how intoxicated the person behind the wheel is.
"In most cases, they try to assess how able the person is before they let them pay the fine and leave. This usually involves handing the car over to a person who isn't under influence. But bikes have it worse — they confiscate the vehicle straight away and there's a long period of waiting to get it back," he shares.
Women seem to have it easier than the men, most of the time.
Trisha, who rides a bike, feels that cops are partial to the fairer sex. "Every time I've passed one of the checks, I've not been asked to stop and use the breathalyser. It isn't fair that the treatment is different for us," she concludes.
