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HomeOpinionDiaryDon’t complain about high fines, but be a disciplined driver

Don’t complain about high fines, but be a disciplined driver

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Traffic rules, new traffic rules, Road Safety Awareness needs to be sensitised. Minor traffic violations can be let off after warning, however, violations of traffic which is of serious nature should be penalized at once. Traffic on road has three components namely – Compliance of rules and driving safe, apprehending violators and upkeep of infrastructure through proper functioning.

The steep penalties for violation of road rules that came into force on September 1 under the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 have produced a backlash, with several State governments opting to reduce the quantum of fines, or even to reject the new provisions. Gujarat has announced a substantial reduction in the fines, West Bengal has refused to adopt the higher penalties, Karnataka and Kerala are studying the prospects to make the provisions less stringent, and others are proceeding with caution. Motorists have reacted with outrage at the imposition of fines by the police, obviously upset at State governments pursuing enforcement without upgrading road infrastructure and making administrative arrangements for issue of transport documents.

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has reiterated that it is left to the States to choose the quantum of fines, since it is their responsibility to bring about deterrence and protect the lives of citizens. Gadkari’s argument is valid, and the intent behind amending the Motor Vehicles Act cannot be faulted. After all, India has some of the deadliest roads in the world, and 1,47,913 people died in road accidents only during 2017. The question that has arisen is whether enhanced fines can radically change this record when other determinants, beginning with administrative reform, remain untouched.

The core of reform lies in Section 198(A) of the amended law, which requires any designated authority, contractor, consultant or concessionaire responsible for design or construction or maintenance of the safety standards of the road to meet those laid down by the Central government. This provision, which prescribes a penalty for a violation leading to death or disability, can be enforced through litigation by road users in all States. Since the standards are laid down, compliance should be ensured without waiting for a road accident to prove it. Until infrastructure meets legal requirements, fines and enforcement action are naturally liable to be challenged in courts; the condition of roads, traffic signals, signage and cautionary markings which affect motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, would all fall within its ambit.

State governments also cannot escape responsibility for failing to reform their Regional Transport Authorities, since these offices are generally steeped in corruption. The Transport Ministry could well have made electronic delivery of RTO services mandatory, something that a lapsed UPA-era Bill promised. It should act on this now. Ultimately, ending the culture of impunity that allows government vehicles and VIPs to ignore road rules will encourage the average citizen to follow them. Gadkari should lose no time in forming the National Road Safety Board to recommend important changes to infrastructure and to enable professional accident investigation.

Better enforcement and infrastructure are key to mitigating anger over higher road fines. But there are number of traffic violators, who are ready to pay fines to escape punishment even though the fine rates have gone up. We cannot call it futile fines. When it pinches your pocket, then you feel the responsibility of following the traffic rule to the hilt. For example wearing of helmet by two wheeler riders is compulsory and it is proper to follow the rules for safeguarding our interest.

Helmet is a part and parcel of Motor Driving but people generally avoid wearing it for various reasons. By avoiding helmet people are risking their lives and put the family into unnecessary trouble. Even Pillion riders will have to wear helmet. Helmet is insurance to life after all as most of the accidental deaths are due to head injury.  While a recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report declares that motorcyclists are about 18 times as likely as car occupants to die in a traffic crash and three times as likely to be injured, a study conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Bangalore has also confirmed that the severity of head injury, death due to head injury, incidence of skull fracture and occurrence of post-traumatic epilepsy were higher among those who were not using helmet as compared to those who did. Protective headgear certainly reduces the severity of the impact on the brain. Unfortunately, the majority still prefer a severely injured brain to a fractured helmet. So, it is not the time to carp about high fines but be a disciplined driver.


(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

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