Habitual offenders may lose their driving licences

Habitual offenders may lose their driving licences

The Hindu

So far, driving licences of 174 people have been revoked


BANGALORE: If you have been fined for repeatedly breaking traffic rules, you may lose your driving licence next time.

The Bangalore City Traffic Task Force has recommended stringent action against "habitual traffic offenders" to drive home the need to obey rules on the road. The Task Force, headed by the Home Secretary Sudhakar Rao, has suggested that the police suspend or cancel the driving licences of drivers found guilty of rash driving, involved frequently in accidents or repeatedly violating traffic rules.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M.N. Reddy said the police have started moving in this direction and out of 500 cases of habitual rule breakers and rash drivers identified, 174 have found their driving licences cancelled.

"The number of offences that make a driver a habitual offender is rather subjective and may not include offences like parking violation. The Motor Vehicles Act does not specify how many violations make a person a habitual offender. While strictly following the rulebook, we will consider the nature of offences committed before deciding on cancelling a licence," Mr. Reddy said.

More school buses

The task force has decided to extend the Safe Routes to School programme to four more schools. Schools in the northern and western parts of the city will be covered under the programme. The programme makes schools use more buses of their own or hired from BMTC with specially trained drivers to transport children from home to schools and back.

With the "direction-based lane system" becoming accepted on several roads, the Task Force has recommended extending to all main roads in the city. This is expected to increase road safety, especially at busy intersections.

The BMTC will be asked to relocate some bus stops that are found to be hindering the flow of traffic. Bangalore Mahanagara Palike has been asked to identify all large apartment complexes that have not provided parking space.