Skip to main content

Alcohol Alert..Road safety: Diluting penalties in draft bill won't do any good

India leads the world in road crash fatalities — 10% of global road deaths occur here.
In the last decade, more than 1 million people have lost their lives in road accidents in the country; several thousands have been injured; and hundreds of families have been destroyed.
Reports suggest that while road deaths in many emerging markets like India have dipped despite a spike in vehicle sales, fatalities on Indian roads have shot up by half in the last decade.
Despite such staggering proof, the ministry of road transport and highways is diluting stiff penalties that it had proposed in the draft Road Transport and Safety Bill, 2014, to discipline errant drivers and reduce deaths on the roads. While officials have not clarified who are opposed to the stringent fines, the transport workers’ lobby feels that the government is trying to emulate developed countries without studying ground realities.
According to the details available in the ministry’s website, anyone caught crossing the speed limit will now pay a fine between Rs 1,000 and Rs 6,000. The earlier version proposed a minimum fine of Rs 5,000 and up to Rs 12,500 for repeat offenders. For drunk driving, the fine has now been reduced from Rs 30,000 to Rs 10,000. The fine can be increased to Rs 20,000 for repeat offenders.
However, the Supreme Court on Monday asked Parliament to enhance the punishment for drunk driving, saying that non-deterrent punishment and leniency shown by courts have made several drivers behave like “emperors” on India’s roads. By making these changes in the proposed law, the government has effectively watered down a law that it was itself so gung-ho about and could have been its showpiece legislation.
Alarmed by the increasing fatalities, the NDA had begun a five-year project to cut road deaths by a fifth every year, part of the most ambitious overhaul of highway laws since Independence. The new law was prompted by the death of rural development minister Gopinath Munde in an accident last year.
The proposed ‘undiluted’ law also had overwhelming public support: A poll conducted by SaveLIFE Foundation in 12 cities of India shows that 81% of all respondents strongly favoured the passage of the Bill; and 91% believe that increased penalties for violations will improve road safety in India.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/comment/road-safety-diluting-penalties-in-draft-bill-won-t-do-any-good/article1-1332593.aspx
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Family is exposed to second-hand smoke that adds to their indoor pollution, a risk factor for NCDs says Suneel

Suneel Vatsyayan says " In our society, tobacco is comparatively more acceptable, affordable, and available"   Vinnie, Nada Health Advocate   Vinnie Choudhry is a student of management, pursuing her MBA from IIM Bangalore. She graduated in Economics from the University of Delhi. She has been associated with Nada India Foundation since her school days where she participated in a Pehchaan Radio club Show which waconducted to raise drug awareness amongst young people.  The following interview was conducted on phone with  Mr. Suneel Vatsyayan, founder of Nada India Foundation, which has been working for prevention of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs and non-communicable diseases for 20 years now. The organisation has been instrumental in rehabilitating the lives of several families whose members were caught in the web of addiction. Vinnie - Sir, Thanks for getting on call with us. Can you tell us about how you decided about setting up Nada India Founda...
Post a Comment
Read more

2025: Listening Deeply. 2026: Walking Forward—Together.

  Young India Network for Good Health 2025: Listening Deeply. 2026: Walking Forward—Together. As we close the pages of 2025 and lean into the promise of 2026, one truth stands steady: when young people are trusted, communities breathe easier. This year belonged to youth voices—adolescents finding language for their feelings, students choosing courage over silence, and young leaders creating spaces where they belong. To every young person who stayed, spoke up, stumbled, learned, and returned— thank you . You didn’t just join a program; you co-created safe, honest spaces for well-being. The Year Youth Led the Way  2025 was dedicated to the journeys that don’t come with neat maps. We celebrated role models who walk with integrity and heart— Monica Menon , Nada Good Health Ambassador, for showing how sport, discipline, and mental strength can shape healthier lives; and Hiral , whose consistency, commitment, and confidence remind us that growth is rarely tidy—and that’s okay...
Post a Comment
Read more

Owning Knowledge, Owning Action – My Journey from Social Work to Law through RTI and COTPA

Owning Knowledge, Owning Action – My Journey from Social Work to Law through RTI and COTPA  If I had to name one thing that Nada India Foundation and Suneel Sir have permanently etched into my heart, it would be this: Ownership of Knowledge. This isn’t about collecting facts like stamps in an album. It’s about holding knowledge in your hands, understanding it deeply, making it a part of your thinking, and — most importantly — putting it into action. I first learned this lesson in my social work days, and I’ve carried it everywhere since — right into the heart of my legal journey. From Social Work to the Law Books During my undergraduate and postgraduate studies in social work, I worked on issues ranging from youth awareness to substance abuse prevention . Those days taught me that knowledge without application is like a library that’s never opened. When I transitioned into law school, I didn’t leave my social work instincts behind. I chose law as a career because it was another ...
Post a Comment
Read more