A bounty of sorts awaits the Telangana Police Department from September 1, when it begins penalising traffic violators according to the tough Motor Vehicle Act-2019. The Traffic Police penalised 25,85,484 violators and recovered a whopping ₹ 32,95,70,555 in the first six months of this year. An average penalty of ₹ 127.
But under the new law, the penalty amount ranges between ₹1,000 and ₹ 10,000 with stringent norms for jailing the offenders. The money recovered from violators will either show an exponential growth or the roads will become safer. “I am already seeing quite a few people wearing helmets. Higher fine amounts will make people think twice before violating a rule. There are a lot of good points in the law. I hope there is a change in public behaviour. The perception of corruption should also change where people realise giving bribe is also an act of corruption. Then our roads will become safer,” says Malcolm Wolfe, a road safety activist.
Till June 2019, the department caught 15,171 violators for drunken driving recovering ₹ 3.07 crore. An average of ₹ 2,024. But under the new law, it could have recovered ₹ 15.17 crore or about five times more. It is not just the penalty but the imprisonment clause too will have a bite for rule violators — 2,871 persons had to serve a jail term for drunken driving. Now a similar violation will invite a jail term ranging from six months to one year.
Incidentally, the traffic department has already collected more penal amounts in the first six months of this year than it collected in 2018. The average money recovered from traffic violators has shown a steady decline over the years. In 2014, the traffic police recovered an average of ₹ 117 from each violator, this money dipped to ₹ 68 per violator in 2018. With the new penalty amounts, this is bound to change. Hyderabad roads will become safer as the new law has provisions that don’t give leeway for overloaded vehicles. Currently, drivers of overloaded vehicles pay a fine of ₹ 2,000 + user fee and drive through the city. Under the new law, the penal amount will be ₹ 20,000 and the vehicle will be allowed to move only after offloading the excess weight.
“₹ 20,000? The violators will leave the vehicle and walk away. After the signal turns red vehicles keep crossing the line and keep moving for at least four seconds. About 30 drivers jump the signal every time the sign turns red. Such violators will think twice,” says M. Durga Rao of Punjagutta PS who was busy penalising traffic violators near the flyover. Autorickshaw drivers who use the double-jeopardy clause to transport more than three people through the day using a single challan will find the going tough. Under the new law, the penal amount is ₹ 200 per excess passenger with a clause that they have to be offloaded.
The new law also has a provision for creation of a National Register of Driving Licences to ensure road safety. “The law has not done anything about the faulty and flawed driver training system in the country. If that is taken care of, the accident rate in the country will decline sharply,” says Mr. Wolfe.
