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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Sights on licence to drive, not kill-Sobhana K

Sights on licence to drive, not kill-Sobhana K

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published Published on Apr 18, 2012   modified Modified on Apr 18, 2012

The government is planning to tighten the rules for issuing and renewing driving licences to make the process “fudge proof” after a study showed drivers’ fault accounted for most road accidents in the country.

A committee of state transport commissioners and officials from the National Informatics Centre recently came up with suggestions on possible amendments to the rules.

The panel, headed by Andhra Pradesh transport commissioner Hiralal Samariya, has submitted its report to the ministry of transport and highways but the details were not immediately available.

The move to toughen licence norms comes about a month and a half after the Union cabinet cleared amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act, hoping that steeper fines, longer jail terms and cancellation of licences would bring order to some of the most lawless roads in the world.

“In India, licence is not given to drive, instead it is licence to kill,” Nitin R. Gokarn, joint secretary, ministry of road transport and highways, said about the latest initiative. “Based on the report we will formulate rules.”

An analysis for 2010 showed drivers’ fault accounted for 78 per cent of the nearly 5 lakh accidents that claimed 1.3 lakh lives.

In Bengal, 5,680 people died in 14,888 accidents that year. Calcutta accounted for 354 deaths in 2,843 accidents.

According to the latest working group report of the National Road Safety Council, two-wheelers account for about 23.8 per cent of all road accidents in 2010, followed by trucks, tempos and tractors (23.3 per cent) and cars, jeeps and taxis (21.8 per cent). Buses accounted for 9.5 per cent of the mishaps.

The committee, set up last year, has been studying the system in states like Karnataka and Gujarat, where getting a licence is tougher than elsewhere in the country.

In these two states, a learner has to sit for a computer-based test. “We have a data base of 300-odd questions, out of which the licence-seeker may get any 15 randomly selected questions. He has to answer these questions within 10 minutes and at least 11 have to be correct for the person to pass,” Gujarat transport commissioner J.P. Gupta told The Telegraph.

Most states don’t have such computer-based exams, which reduce the scope of using unfair means.

In Bengal, an applicant for a learner’s licence has to appear for a “preliminary test” at the Public Vehicles Department (PVD) or the office of the local transport authority.

“The test is for assessing the applicant’s knowledge of traffic signs. It is conducted by motor vehicles inspectors,” a PVD official said.

Thirty days later, the candidate has to appear for a driving test. “The motor vehicles inspector has to test the driving skills of the candidate along with his knowledge of traffic rules,” the official said.

But the rules are hardly followed. A tacit understanding between training schools and motor vehicles inspectors ensures that “more than 95 per cent” candidates clear the test without even taking the wheel. “The motor vehicles inspector asks a few questions and clears the application,” the PVD official said.

It is such loopholes that the government wants to plug. This is why the Centre-appointed committee has been studying the system followed in Gujarat and Karnataka where, once a learner’s licence is issued, the candidate has to undergo a compulsory 20-hour training from a government-certified school.

In Karnataka, the government has built training tracks, where candidates have to prove they have learnt enough to get a licence.

For instance, they have to drive on an “8” drawn on the ground or reverse on an incline. The track is fitted with sensors, which evaluate the performance of the driver.

The computer-generated results are based on the sensors, leaving no scope for subjective assessment. A similar procedure is followed for renewing licences.

Till now 7,000 people have got licences through this process.

“We are introducing new tracks and will video-graph the entire process. The tracks will be marked with infrared lines. When a person drives, the actual image will be superimposed on the virtual map and the computer will detect as soon as he makes a wrong move,” said Hemant Kumar, joint commissioner, transport, Karnataka.

“It takes only about Rs 1 crore for the electronic system to be put in place,” Kumar added.

Initially, the stress will be on applying this system for drivers of commercial vehicles, though eventually the ministry plans to widen the ambit to include non-commercial licences.

The government has already issued orders that driving licences and registration certificates should be in the form of smart cards and not just paper certificates. Only 19 states have upgraded to smart cards so far.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING IN CALCUTTA BY ZEESHAN JAWED

The Telegraph, 18 April, 2012, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120418/jsp/frontpage/story_15387896.jsp#.T45gblL5nYQ


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