Get your license cancelled for taking on your cellphone. Source Mumbai Mirror dated 7 Sept. 2009. Caught in a traffic jam and itching to speed-dial a friend for a rant? Well, don’t. Starting today, calling, sending a text message or even listening to music through earphones while in the driver’s seat will cost you your driver’s licence – forever! It doesn’t matter if your vehicle is stationary at a traffic signal, you’re still culpable. What’s more, you cannot use your hands-free, play games, take photos or shoot videos on your phone either.
A circular sent out by State Transport Commissioner Deepak Kapoor to all 45 divisions of the Regional Transport Offices (RTO) and other transport offices in the State, including the Mumbai Traffic police, says that those caught using mobile phones while driving will stand to forfeit their licence for good. Kapoor said that drivers in a stationary vehicle in a traffic jam or at a traffic signal also come under the rule.
He added, “For the first time such harsh punishment has been decided upon for those using mobile phones while driving. The circular has already been dispatched to all concerned departments and we have clearly laid down the rule that once the driver sits in the car, he cannot touch his mobile phone until he leaves the driver’s seat. If he flouts the rule, he will be liable for the punishment decided upon.” However, Kapoor clarified, this rule only applies to the driver and not to other occupants of the vehicle.
The move came following a letter sent by the Central Government to the transport commissioner indicating that use of mobile phones while driving motor vehicles carried a potential risk of accidents and had been proved to distract the driver, increasing the probability of accidents.
According to the letter, the special committee set up to look into the petitions by Rajya Sabha members on the issue, had taken a very serious note of the fact that use of mobile phones in motor vehicles was on the rise, leading to accidents.
Kapoor said, “Acting on the letter, we recommended that the use of mobile phones while driving be banned in any form and in any manner. We have now directed the officers to disqualify a driver under Rule 21 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, as per the procedure laid down in Section 19 of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988’ (see ‘Road Rules’).”
Kapoor added that implementation of the punishment would depend on the traffic police officer. “If the driver hangs up before the officer reaches him, he may only have his licence suspended for three months. But if the driver is using the phone when the officer nabs him, he will lose his licence forever,” Kapoor said. He said he would review the cases every month.
Accident-prone Mumbai
Figures for Mumbai are the highest in case of motor accidents. In 2008, Mumbai registered 29,780 road accidents. The figure for Maharashtra was 75,520, which means one-third of the accidents occurred in Mumbai alone.
“The accident rate is higher here because of the density of vehicles on Mumbai’s roads,” a senior traffic officer said. There are already 3,637 motor accident deaths recorded in the State between January and April 2009.
He said, “There are no separate figures available for deaths caused due to mobile phone usage, but yes they have been found to play a major role. Using mobile phones while driving distracts the driver, making him/her unable to make quick decisions in emergency situations.”
Road rules
Rule 21 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 as per the procedure laid down in Section 19 of Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 reads: a driver can be disqualified for using a mobile phone in any form, which includes hand-held or hands free mobile or operated with the help of Bluetooth or permanently installed and integrated into the wiring of motor vehicles, and also the use of mobile phone in any manner which includes making or receiving calls, sending messages, playing games, listening to music and taking photos or making videos.
Last edited by Jaggu : 7th September 2009 at 16:41.
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