Senate panel passes bill to raise traffic violation fines

Ratio of accidents proportional to amount of penalty in most countries, says NHMP DIG

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Communications on Tuesday unanimously passed the National Highways Safety (Amendment) Bill, 2019.

The amendments suggested an increase in challan rates on different traffic violations including drunk driving, tinted vehicles and driving without a valid driving license. The recommendations further included different detention periods depending on the nature and severity of the violation.

Senator Hidayatullah presided over the meeting of the Senate committee held at the Parliament House.

Speaking on the occasion, Senator Sassui Palijo informed about the problems being faced by the residents of Thatta.

Palijo pointed out that the National Highways and Motorways (NHA) roads and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) gas pipelines were running parallel which has created problems.

At this, the NHA Chairman said that the company was responsible for the gas supply to the area. He added that the SSGC had to clear its arrears owed to NHA. The senators deliberated the suggested amendments in the bill.

Senator Bahramand Khan Tangi, who had tabled the bill, drew attention towards the rise in accidents on highways and motorways. He asserted that most of the truck and trailer drivers consumed drugs before leaving for their destination, adding that the use of cellphones while driving had become a fashion too. National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) DIG Jan Muhammad said that as many as 1, 200 people died in road accidents occurring on motorways or highways across the country during the past four years. Suggesting a solution, he added that the ratio of accidents was inversely proportional to the amount of penalty in most countries around the world. DIG hailed Senator Tangi for presenting the bill for increasing traffic violation challans.

The participants endorsed the recommendation to increase the penalty from Rs5, 000 to Rs10, 000 while driving on motorways and highways without a valid driving license. The violation would remain on records of the motorist for six months.

While reviewing the recommendation to hike challan rate to as high as Rs50, 000 from Rs10,000 on drunk driving, Senator Dr Ashok Kumar said that the motorway police must be equipped with breathalyzers for estimating blood alcohol content (BAC) from breath sample of a driver. He contended that afterwards, it becomes difficult to prove whether the driver was drunk or not. DIG responded to this by saying that the purchasing of breathalyzers was under way.

Further, the senators encouraged the increase in challan rates for  on overspeeding. The amendment suggested enhancement from Rs5, 000 to Rs10, 000 and month-long incarceration. The committee also approved recommendations on the hike in challan amount for driving a sub-standard vehicle while the driver would also have to spend a month behind the bars along with the suspension of driving license.

The senators also backed challan rate of Rs2, 000 on tinted windows of a vehicle which would also include month-long detention.

Senator Ahmed Khan suggested developing a strong linkage between the economic zones before designing a policy regarding loading vehicles. He asserted that a big lobby was working behind the loader trucks.

The members recommended a month’s imprisonment on the overloading of goods transporting vehicles and challan rate between Rs1, 000 – Rs5, 000.

Other recommendations in the bill included non-reporting to the police by a driver after an accident which would lead to five-month detention with Rs10, 000 fine and suspension of driving license for three months.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 4^th, 2020.