<p>Jumping a red light signal may invite suspension of driving licence if recommendations of a committee set up by the Supreme Court on road safety are accepted. The panel wants redlight jumping to be treated on par with speeding. <br /><br /></p>.<p>In Delhi, 1,73,608 drivers were prosecuted for over- speeding till August 15 this year. “Among these motorists, there are 1,908 speedsters who have been prosecuted more than once,” said Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Muktesh Chander.<br /><br />Hopefully, there would be a greater deterrence if the recommendations of the SC-appointed Committee – headed by Justice K S Radhakrishnan – on suspension of licence even for red light jumping becomes a law, said another police official. <br />Chander said the law breakers need to be given a shock <br />of deterrent penalty to instil discipline.<br /><br />Traffic inspectors on the road said in most road accidents, the speeding drivers admit that they committed the act despite knowing well that ignoring the maximum speed limit of 50 km per hour amounted to violating the law.<br /><br />“The prosecution and penalties do not work in the case of some drivers. This is evident from the case of repeat offenders,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Sandeep Goel.<br /><br />According to the WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety 2013, a five per cent cut in average speed can result in 30 per cent reduction in the number of crashes.<br /><br />Global norms<br /><br />Urban speed limit of 50 km per hour is proven to reduce injuries and deaths – a globally accepted norm which is borne out by the fact that 114 countries apply this speed limit.<br /><br />According to the Centre for Science and Environment ,global experience has shown that regular and visible enforcement on roads acts as a much stronger deterrence.<br />Traffic police data indicates that they are virtually on an overdrive in terms of prosecuting speed freaks.<br /><br /> As compared to 72,556 prosecutions on over speeding in till August 15 2014, this year as many as 1,73, 680 drivres have been issued penalty slips.<br /><br />A senior traffic police official denied slackness in prosecution and said there are 85 lakh vehicles in the city and almost 50 lakh drivers on an average get prosecuted annually for traffic rule violations. <br /><br />“There is no slackness in enforcement,” he said. The traffic police officials said they have impounded 47 vehicles for overspeeding and punched 3,373 licences till August 15 this year. <br /><br />More women have also caught speeding on road this year as compared to last year. “Till August 15 this year, 70 women have been caught over- speeding as compared to 56 in the corresponding period in 2014,” said an official.<br /></p>
<p>Jumping a red light signal may invite suspension of driving licence if recommendations of a committee set up by the Supreme Court on road safety are accepted. The panel wants redlight jumping to be treated on par with speeding. <br /><br /></p>.<p>In Delhi, 1,73,608 drivers were prosecuted for over- speeding till August 15 this year. “Among these motorists, there are 1,908 speedsters who have been prosecuted more than once,” said Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Muktesh Chander.<br /><br />Hopefully, there would be a greater deterrence if the recommendations of the SC-appointed Committee – headed by Justice K S Radhakrishnan – on suspension of licence even for red light jumping becomes a law, said another police official. <br />Chander said the law breakers need to be given a shock <br />of deterrent penalty to instil discipline.<br /><br />Traffic inspectors on the road said in most road accidents, the speeding drivers admit that they committed the act despite knowing well that ignoring the maximum speed limit of 50 km per hour amounted to violating the law.<br /><br />“The prosecution and penalties do not work in the case of some drivers. This is evident from the case of repeat offenders,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Sandeep Goel.<br /><br />According to the WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety 2013, a five per cent cut in average speed can result in 30 per cent reduction in the number of crashes.<br /><br />Global norms<br /><br />Urban speed limit of 50 km per hour is proven to reduce injuries and deaths – a globally accepted norm which is borne out by the fact that 114 countries apply this speed limit.<br /><br />According to the Centre for Science and Environment ,global experience has shown that regular and visible enforcement on roads acts as a much stronger deterrence.<br />Traffic police data indicates that they are virtually on an overdrive in terms of prosecuting speed freaks.<br /><br /> As compared to 72,556 prosecutions on over speeding in till August 15 2014, this year as many as 1,73, 680 drivres have been issued penalty slips.<br /><br />A senior traffic police official denied slackness in prosecution and said there are 85 lakh vehicles in the city and almost 50 lakh drivers on an average get prosecuted annually for traffic rule violations. <br /><br />“There is no slackness in enforcement,” he said. The traffic police officials said they have impounded 47 vehicles for overspeeding and punched 3,373 licences till August 15 this year. <br /><br />More women have also caught speeding on road this year as compared to last year. “Till August 15 this year, 70 women have been caught over- speeding as compared to 56 in the corresponding period in 2014,” said an official.<br /></p>
