Day 60 – Q 4.The government, through the Motor Vehicle Amendment Act, has substantially increased the penalty for traffic rule violations.What is your opinion of this step? We lack basic facilities including good roads and related services. Is it not unethical on part of the government to have done this? Comment.

4. The government, through the Motor Vehicle Amendment Act, has substantially increased the penalty for traffic rule violations.What is your opinion of this step? We lack basic facilities including good roads and related services. Is it not unethical on part of the government to have done this? Comment. 

मोटर वाहन संशोधन अधिनियम के माध्यम से सरकार ने यातायात नियम के उल्लंघन के लिए जुर्माना में काफी वृद्धि की है। इस कदम के बारे में आपकी क्या राय है? हमारे पास अच्छी सड़कों और संबंधित सेवाओं सहित बुनियादी सुविधाओं का अभाव है। क्या ऐसा करना सरकार के हिस्से में अनैतिक नहीं है? टिप्पणी करें।

Introduction:

The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019 has come into force today, and with its roll-out come higher penalties for traffic offenses. These rules play an important part seeing that some of the most unsafe roads when it comes to driving are witnessed in India.

Body:

• The new Act brings with it a number of stringent norms and high penalties for violations like driving without license, over speeding, drunken driving, speeding, riding without helmets etc. These forms of irresponsible road sense, negligence of safety measures cause a lot of accidents. Thus, now with higher fines, citizens will be more responsible and careful.
• It includes a provision that mandates automated fitness testing for vehicles. This proposal would help reduce corruption in the transport department and improve road worthiness of the vehicle. 
• Reports say that more than 1.50 lakh people die and 5 lakh people injured annually in road accidents. Stricter rules will definitely result in a much lesser cause for road accidents.

However, in the backdrop of government lacking in provision of good roads and related amenities, these steps seem to exert all road safety responsibilities on citizens. Though not unethical to implement these penalties, there are severe shortcomings by governing authorities which include:

• In the tussle between who will bear the cost of electronic monitoring of roads and highways to improve safety, more than often ends up in a delay to implement the same.
• There is an urgent need for improving the road design through engineering design corrections. For example: Several road accidents have been caused due to faulty roads and poorly maintained potholes.
• Use of inferior materials and corrupt constructions which result in road damages and accelerated destruction of pavements, dividers etc inculcate a sense of wrong usage of taxpayers’ money.

Thus, though the act has a number of forward-looking ideas, which was due for so long, it requires both sides of the problem to responsibly undertake the measures- Government authorities need to ensure safer roads construction, provision of additional measures related to it and citizens need to be careful and avoid being negligent on their part.

Conclusion:

India requires a hefty penalty to make people deter from breaking the law, as seen in most cases. However, precautions must be taken from the government too on their part, to ensure better roads, higher construction and maintenance standards, and timely precautionary measures to avoid increasing the difficulties for citizens’ road behaviour.