During the first 5-year stint of the current NDA government, Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had taken a solemn vow to “bulldoze” the automobile industry into shifting to alternative fuel (electric vehicles). Well, the minister may not have exactly been able to fulfil his mission as of date, in his second stint, Gadkari has been able to bulldoze Parliament in paving the way for yet another personal pet project — road safety.
On July 31, the Rajya Sabha cleared the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, which, among other things, aims to levy higher fines on offenders and weed out corruption in the country’s road transport system. Though the Bill had earlier been passed in the Lower House of Parliament, it would have to go back to the Lok Sabha as the Upper House had cleared the proposed legislation with some minor amendments.
There were some rumbles of protest from the Opposition when the Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha, but Gadkari deftly steered the legislation to safety with a 108-13 majority.
The transport minister has been instrumental in bringing this new legislation on road safety as he had promised to amend the Motor Vehicles Act of 1988 when he took charge of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways during the first term of the Modi government.
After the passage of the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, Gadkari said, “The much-needed amendments will improve road safety, facilitate citizens in their dealing with the transport department, strengthen rural transport, public transport, and last-mile connectivity through automation, computerisation and online services.”
He hoped that the Bill will lead to an efficient, safe and corruption-free transport system in the country.
What are the salient features of the amended bill?
Among other things, the Bill categorises common offences such as the use of mobiles, jumping traffic lights and driving in the wrong lane as "dangerous driving”. While drivers will be fined Rs 10,000 for not giving way to emergency vehicles, a similar penalty will be levied for driving despite disqualification. Taxi aggregators violating driving rules will be fined up to Rs 1 lakh.
The Bill has also fixed a penalty of Rs 1,000-2,000 for drivers caught speeding. For driving without insurance, there will be a fine of Rs 2,000; those driving without helmets will have to shell out Rs 1,000 and can face a three-month suspension of their licences. The Bill also increases the minimum compensation for hit-and-run cases to Rs 2 lakh from Rs 25,000 in the case of death and in the case of grievous injury, to Rs 50,000 from Rs 12,500. The list of offences and penalties is quite long.
Other than such provisions, the Bill provides for a National Road Safety Board, to be created by the central government through a notification. At the same time, the government has brought in a provision wherein if road conditions are not up to the mark, road contractors will be penalised. Under the Bill, obtaining a driving licence could get tougher if an individual fails to demonstrate adequate skills at driving tests. The process of obtaining driving licence will become technology driven, reducing human interface to curb corruption.
The government’s legislative endeavour to ensure road safety is definitely praise-worthy. However, the actual test for the law will be in its implementation. Will the keepers of law be able to properly enforce the content of the Bill when required? Jumping signals, speaking on cellphone while driving, breaking speed limits are common occurrences on Indian roads. These are not being defined as punishable offences for the first time. In most cases, penalties, though meagre, were there earlier, too.
But careless motorists often pay scant respect to such rules and do not mind flouting the law once in a while. In some cases, traffic police also helped such errant drivers by either turning a blind eye to such violation of rules or settling the matter outside the purview of the law (euphemism for corruption!).
There are also instances where motorists are sometimes booked for offences that they have not committed. These can happen because of technological glitches in the traffic management system.
Systems prevalent in developed nations suggest that a fully automated traffic controlling mechanism can better enforce law. The central and state administrations need to seriously think on this line so that the law can play a meaningful role. At the same time, people sitting behind the wheels need to be more mindful about traffic rules. The don’t-care attitude of drivers has to change. Otherwise, no amount of hike in penalty for violation of traffic rules will change the scenario.
The amended Motor Vehicles Act is an opportunity for all stakeholders to fasten their seat belts and steer the collective consciousness of the country towards road safety.
Abhijit Kumar Dutta is a freelance writer. Views expressed are personal.
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