THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Rash drivers who cause serious accidents will no longer be let off the hook upon paying fine. The Kerala government has decided to make such offenders serve at trauma care centres and palliative care units for three days as punishment. The drivers will also have to undergo training before they are allowed back on the road.
A meeting of transport department officers led by Minister Antony Raju on Thursday chalked out plans to make social service must for erring drivers. If the move is implemented, Kerala will become the first state to use social service as a deterrent to rash driving. Road safety experts and contract carriage operators have welcomed the move.
The decision was taken in the wake of the October 6 Vadakkencherry road accident that killed nine people, including five school students. It was found that Jojo Pathrose, the tourist bus driver booked for dangerous driving, had committed a similar offence in the past.
The drivers will also have to undergo three-day training at the Institute of Driver Training and Research (IDTR) for three days. Erring drivers of contract, stage and goods carriers will be the focus initially.
‘KSRTC drivers too should be held accountable’
The minister said the social service mandate will also apply to those caught driving under the influence of drugs. The Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) will suspend the licences of the drivers involved. The licences will be restored upon completion of community service and training, said an MVD officer.
Road safety experts said the move will help reduce the number of serious accidents in the state. “It is a welcome move. Fines alone are not effective to deter drivers from repeating the offence. Community service is included in The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill-2019. The government will have to frame guidelines to suit our requirements,” said Kerala Road Safety Authority executive director T Elangovan. He said the guidelines should categorise the offences and the community service and its period for each offence.
At present, courts ask some rash drivers to do community service. The offenders serve at casualty, general wards or old-age centres and get a doctor’s certificate to get their licences restored. “Though the government had tried to frame guidelines for community service earlier by including the MVD, health and social justice department, it did not materialise due to lack of precedence in India,” said an officer.
The Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety (SCoRS) has also favoured community service against various road safety offences. The committee, during a meet, had observed that over 70% of the accidents in the state could be averted. The Contract Carriage Operators Association (CCOA) welcomed the move, saying it will act as deterrent to a section of drivers who malign the industry’s image.
‘APPLY SAME PARAMETER’
The government should apply the same parameter on KSRTC drivers too, said CCOA general secretary, S Prasanthan. Raju said people fitting unauthorised horns or modifying their vehicles as well as vloggers involved in promoting dangerous driving will also face legal action.