How often will you dare to overspeed violating the law?
Going by evidence obtained by the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) with the help of surveillance cameras, private bus companies operating inter-State services are doing it with alarming frequency. According to data, buses of 13 such companies have been found guilty of nearly 1,000 instances of speeding in the last one year.
Out of these instances, 11 buses of just one company registered in Karnataka and being operated between Kerala and Bengaluru accounted for 447 violations, incurring a collective fine of ₹1.78 lakh. Two of these buses alone accounted for 417 violations and were caught speeding multiple times the same day. The buses were caught with the help of cameras installed at various locations in the State. The MVD operates 202 cameras across the State.
“They [bus operators] are made to pay the fine within a week, failing which strict action like detention of services will be taken. In cases where the addresses of the offending parties are available online, notices are sent through post, or our enforcement parties hand them over personally,” said an MVD official.
The frequency of violations proves that a fine of ₹400 for each instance of speeding, including repeated offences, is hardly a deterrent.
The official added that drivers seemed to be ignorant of the permissible speed limits for various types of roads and varying speed limits for different categories of vehicles. “Drivers seem to be under the impression that 90 km per hour is permissible on every four-lane road stretch in the State for all classes of vehicles, whereas it is permissible only on the Cherthala-Mannuthy stretch. Heavy passenger and goods vehicles are not allowed to touch those speeds even on that stretch,” he said.
Medium / heavy passenger vehicles / heavy goods vehicles are allowed to touch a maximum speed of 65 kmph on national highways and 70 kmph on four-lane roads. However, many buses fined for speeding were guilty of touching speeds in excess of 90 and 95 kmph.
Similarly, there are different speed limits for different categories of vehicles for roads near schools, high ranges, corporation and municipal limits, national highways, State highways, four-lane roads, and other roads.
