Road accident fatalities, mostly caused by rash and negligent driving, remains unacceptably high in India (Front page, “Nitin Gadkari defends steep fines under Motor Vehicles Act,” Sept. 12 ). The imposition of steep fines to penalise the wanton disrespect to traffic rules and disregard for the lives of pedestrians and fellow motorists should be seen as a belated policy effort to deter undisciplined drivers. The paying capacity of drivers and the effectiveness of using hefty fines as a tool to deter rash driving are extraneous to the primary task of infusing a fear of law in the minds of drivers. At the same time, the fact is bad roads also cause accidents. Road safety should be a collaborative effort of the society’s stakeholders. The government should also do its part by making the periodic maintenance of public roads a top priority.
V.N. Mukundarajan,
Thiruvananthapuram
