Coimbatore cancels licences of 292 drunk drivers

[hserus]

They're going on an enforcement spree and looks like this entire weekend's crop of DUI cases is going to have their licenses entirely cancelled, not seized and restored after a court appearance.

http://www.thenewsminute.com/article...ancelled-63594

[GTO]

Very good. Strict enforcement is the only way to discipline our idiotic road users. Now watch the drunk driving rates come down. In Mumbai, no one has the guts to drive drunk, thanks to rigorous enforcement by the cops. They are all across the city late in the night.

[swissknife]

Originally Posted by hserus

They're going on an enforcement spree and looks like this entire weekend's crop of DUI cases is going to have their licenses entirely cancelled, not seized and restored after a court appearance.

http://www.thenewsminute.com/article...ancelled-63594

It is a welcome action! While it is good to know that 292 drivers do not have the right to get behind a wheel, I sincerely hope that they do not drive without driving license. The punishment for driving without a driving license, especially after it has been cancelled, should be treated similar to culpable homicide!!! Serious law enforcement should ensure that it serves as a deterrent.

[dass]

Excellent news. I only hope that these drivers don't hit the road again with forged licenses. I remember seeing on TV how most of the truck drivers don't even have a license and get away with a photocopy of the license by paying bribes through their way.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by swissknife

I sincerely hope that they do not drive without driving license.

The deterrents are enough to ensure that people care about their driving licence. Example, penalties when caught by cops during routine checking or a traffic violation. There is also the matter of insurance coverage; you won't get your damages covered by the insurance company if you were driving without a licence.

[mobike008]

Wonderful news and great to know that finally one state has come forward to enforce this formally

People in India may still not care about their license getting cancelled but, I can see rapid development in RTO networks getting centralized within the respective state and our official documents (Aadhar, Pan, Licence etc) getting mapped to their system which will adversely affect the violator and will come back to bite him in the back some way or other where his application will be denied (Loan Applications, Credit Cards, Police Verification etc.)

Some states like our's is sending people to jail for 2-days and also asking them to serve community for a stipulated number of hours (US style). I feel they should also add cancelling the license to make the overall punishment even more severe

Hope other states in India will quickly follow suit !!!

[justwheels]

In a country where people wear helmets only when the cops are around, buy helmets costing less than a dozen of bananas, it's only strict enforcement of rules that will solve some of the problems. Bangalore has so much of checking on weekends for drunk driving and yet I see people being caught and then pleading or bribing cops to be let free. And these are educated corporate guys and girls.
The step by Coimbatore police/rto is a great move. Kudos.

[aravind.anand]

This is good news, finally people will start taking DUI as a serious offence.

However, what would happen if one such driver continues driving without a licence from that point? Someone please help me understand this..

- Driver stopped for a casual check or for a small offence - claims he forgot his licence, pays a small 100 Rs fine and gets away with it?

- Driver gets into trouble with some big accident, and then Police find out he has been driving without a licence and then takes him to court for further punishment?

- Driver goes and applies for a new LLR with his own documents and gets a new licence, or at least gets a 6 month LLR to drive around?

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

- Driver stopped for a casual check or for a small offence - claims he forgot his licence, pays a small 100 Rs fine and gets away with it?

- Driver gets into trouble with some big accident, and then Police find out he has been driving without a licence and then takes him to court for further punishment?

- Driver goes and applies for a new LLR with his own documents and gets a new licence, or at least gets a 6 month LLR to drive around?

A) With a small offence, there is a good possibility he will be able to get away with it.

B) As GTO rightly said, insurance will not cover him and he will have to ideally bear the entire liability on his own.

C) I sincerely hope they check records to see if a license was cancelled, before issuing a LLR.

I personally love the tough stance they are taking. The cops in Mumbai have managed to change the situation significantly.
One thing I would like though is publicly naming those who have been caught - just acts as a further deterrent IMO.

[sgiitk]

Good. I only hope it gets prominence in the national Media, and also replicated everywhere.