3-month license suspension for offences like speeding, drunk driving & talking on mobile
Traffic cops have been directed to send the maximum cases of violations to RTOs, recommending suspension of driving licenses for no less than three months with immediate effect (Main Image Courtesy: cntraveller.in)
Motorists caught overspeeding, talking on the phone, jumping signal or drunk driving may soon get their driving license suspended for not less than three months, a move aimed at reducing the number of fatalities on state roads.
According to a directive issued by Additional Director General (Traffic) to all police units in the state, traffic cops have been asked to send the maximum possible cases of traffic violations to respective Regional Transport Office’s (RTOs) and recommending suspension of driving licenses for no less than three months with immediate effect.
In the notification, the ADG has asked officials to confiscate the licenses of motorists found:
* Speeding beyond permissible limit
* Jumping red signal
* Talking on the mobile phone driving/riding a vehicle
* Driving in an inebriated condition
* Ferrying passengers on a goods vehicle
* Driving an overloaded vehicle
After confiscating the licenses, they will be sent to the RTOs for processing and suspension. The directive also deals with the provision of stringent punishment in drunk driving cases and collecting fines from pillion riders not wearing helmets.
“We have received a soft copy of the notification. We are working on enforcing the same across Mumbai as soon as possible,” said Amitesh Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic).
The heads of all police stations and highway police units have also been directed to send weekly reports of action taken to central government’s Road Safety Committee (RSC), appointed by Supreme Court to oversee road safety measures and headed by retired SC Justice KS Radhakrishnan.
The directive cites a government resolution (GR) issued on December 31, 2015, in which the state home department had asked the police to recommend suspension for most traffic violations in a bid to curb violations.
While the GR was issued three years back, traffic cops have seldom pushed for license suspension due to lack of awareness.
The communication from the ADG cites the recent meeting of RSC held in New Delhi on November 12, in which representatives of all states – including Maharashtra – expressed concerns over the increasing number of accidents.
The committee noted that despite an increase in the number of accidents, the recommendations made by Maharashtra police for license suspension of violators had not risen proportionately.
The committee has set a target of reducing the number of accidents and fatalities by 10 percent each year. As per official figures, around 38,000 people died in road accidents in Maharashtra between 2015 and 2017.
