I
Sir,
Refer news item Harsh traffic fines harassment to public, transporters’ DE Sept 21, 2019.
The concern expressed by senior Congress leaders is to some extent genuinue, but not totally true. The people may face some difficulty in the early days of the amended Motor Vehicle Act, but after some time they will learn to live with it. The MVA has begun to yield result in the Jammu Division where it has been enforced. People have started wearing helmets, fasting seat belts, and doing the necessary paper work like securing Registration Certificates, Insurance, Pollution Check Certificates. A sense of respecting the law seems to have dawned upon the motorists. Traffic police is seen doing its job efficiently by manning traffic at busy crossings, and checking vehicles for necessary documents. Earlier people would care two hoots for traffic laws. Only people with a sense of security and respect for law would wear helmets, and obey traffic rules. The X-generation, underage children would hardly follow traffic rules. They indulged in honking, road rage and overtaking. There was traffic chaos all around. We expect that with the enforcement of new MVA things would improve to a great extent. And roads would become safe.
Pramodh Kohli
Jammu
II
Sir,
The recent changes in traffic violation fines have left all the regular drivers on the road shell-shocked. While some support this decision, many are against it. At this time, a question arises whether ” Heavy penalties would lead to safer roads and would it make any difference?” I think that “Yes” it would make a major difference on the roads,” How?” I will explain it.
In today’s India, most people possess their own cars and other automobiles but they do not possess a very common thing which is necessary for driving on roads, and that thing is respect for rules, laws, and regulations. People do not know anything about lane driving; some overtake other cars at high speeds on turns without any indicators or dippers, some don’t even obey traffic lights at major intersections on the road and thus, cause accidents which lead to the death of many. These kinds of traffic accidents lead to many deaths, and in order to reduce these deaths, these rules are applied.
In the monthly budget of a common middle-man, a fine of rupees2000 is a tremendous shock. When people will get fined heavily, they will automatically develop some respect for traffic rules and thus, will abide them.
A very important thing is that the drivers have to make one thing clear in their mind that is, traffic rules are for their own safety and the mutual well being of fellow drivers, they are not meant to be an income source for the government. If all the people would start to follow traffic rules in full measure, there is a complete surety that traffic accident rates would fall drastically and so would the death rates due to these accidents.
According to a great philosopher, “The greatest tragedy of India is that some people here take pride in obeying rules while most people take pride in breaking them.” and that is the only reason because of which these heavy penalties are exerted. According to me when people will learn some respect for traffic rules the government would gradually decrease these fines.
Since the introduction of these fines, a lot of discipline can be seen on the roads where they are implemented thus, we can see the results in just this short period of time, imagine what the long term effects would be.
Aditya Wazir
Katra
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