Since July, the Chennai city traffic police have booked cases against 76,280 persons for speeding, 1.91 lakh motorists for jumping signals, 17,960 persons for using mobile phones while at the wheel, 26,237 persons for drunk driving and 4,502 persons for overloading.
Speaking at a seminar on car safety organised by the Consumers’ Association of India and Consumer Voice on Thursday, North Chennai Deputy Commissioner (Traffic) D. Shanmugha Priya said starting July, the State Road Safety Council has been strictly implementing the Supreme Court Committee’s recommendations of cancelling or suspending drivers’ licences for traffic violations. The Council, chaired by the Transport Minister, includes officials from various government departments, including highways and transport and the police.
The officials concerned issued orders to suspend 6,628 driving licences of those who violated the Motor Vehicles Act in Chennai, while the police sent proposals to suspend the driving licences of 15,901 persons in Chennai for various offences.
“The traffic police have started advising students and youth in the age group of 18-25 to promote road safety,” said Ms. Shanmugha Priya.
Pointing to the need for car safety on Indian roads, Consumers Association of India chairperson and managing trustee Nirmala Desikan said a safe car should also be a priority for the consumer but also needs to be supported by manufacturers and regulators.
“India has been witnessing a very high rate of road accidents, resulting in the largest number of road deaths and injuries in the world. India accounts for 1.5 lakh fatalities every year. One of the main reasons behind the high casualties in road accidents is the lack of safety features in Indian cars,” said Ms. Nirmala Desikan.
