NEW DELHI: India claims the number one spot when it comes to road accident fatalities in the world. One of the biggest reasons for road accidents in India is that many people do not follow traffic rules, such as wearing a seat belt while driving a car or a helmet while riding a bike, or stopping at signals. These rules are designed only to help drivers stay in control and stay safe while driving. Under the amended Motor Vehicles Act implemented in September 2019, hefty fines have been introduced on motorists.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has said that it has enhanced penalties on offences where no penalty was previously specified, introduced several new penalties and made penalties on offences such as driving under the influence of alcohol, speeding, uninsured vehicles and lacking documentation much stricter. Similarly, there are now stricter penalties on drivers and passengers not wearing seat belts, carrying excess passengers, minors driving cars and incorrectly seating children in a vehicle.
New Delhi is one of the few states to implement the new rules. Prashant Gautam, Deputy Commissioner, Western Range Traffic Police, Delhi, said in a recent notification, “It has been observed that a very high number of two-wheeler riders have been driving with the rear-view mirrors removed across the roads of Delhi. Driving without a rear-view mirror is not only irresponsible but also dangerous since it blocks a significant field of view of the driver, causing collisions with the faster moving vehicles from behind.”Therefore, the Delhi traffic police started a special drive against riders driving without side-/rear-view mirrors.
Team Urban Update conducted a survey ‘Adherence to Traffic Regulations’ in the National Capital’ to know the impact of the ground.
When asked if drivers in Delhi have started adhering to traffic rules after the installation of surveillance cameras at various spots, 63.6 per cent of the respondents said yes. In comparison, 24.2 per cent of them believe that cameras have not resulted in any improvement. To the question of whether drivers tend to stop behind the stop line at a red light, 48.5 per cent of the respondents replied yes, and 48.5 per cent said no. This puts the issue in perspective – that Delhi drivers continue to neglect the rule of stopping behind the stop line, even after a fine has been put in place for this offense.
According to the survey report, 84.8 per cent of the respondents found e-challans to be more effective than previously existing challan processes, and 78.8 per cent of the respondents said that they believe that these new traffic regulations, with increased fines, surveillance cameras, and e-challans, will be beneficial in making Delhi’s roads safer in the long term. The Supreme Court of India had recently issued an order directing the set-up of a special lane for emergency vehicles, to which 84.8 per cent of the respondents said that it is a much-needed step. However, 3 per cent believe that cost of infrastructure will be an extra burden on the middle class, and instead, it is better to emphasise awareness about these issues.
When asked about areas where both the Delhi government and the Delhi Traffic Police can improve upon to make Delhi roads safer, various kinds of responses were received, including making sure that all the street lights function properly, ensuring women safety, and reducing crimes on the road like robbery.