Chandigarh July 16, 2017 : Citizens Awareness Group has written to members of Rajya Sabha (Haryana) requesting all MPs to support the passage of Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill 2017 in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, starting from July 17th and save 400 lives every day. Once the bill is cleared by the Rajya Sabha, it will ensure the formation of a new stricter law, which will help in saving precious human lives lost in road accidents every year.
While sharing more details on the subject, Surinder Verma, Chairperson, Citizens Awareness Group said, “If this bill is further deferred, we will be putting at risk the lives of around 36000 citizens besides serious injuries before the next session of the Parliament can adopt it. These casualties include thousands of innocent children. The passage of Bill is crucial in its current form and in the current session”.
The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2017 has revised provisions and penalties aiming to reduce fatalities on Indian roads.
Verma further added, “Some key provisions of the Bill include the proposal to make safety belt or child restraint system mandatory for children below the age of 14 years in a car. Failure to compliance would be punishable with a stiff penalty of Rs 1000. In case of Juvenile drivers, the guardian or owner would be deemed guilty and fined with Rs.25000 and three years of imprisonment with cancellation of registration. A penalty of Rs 1000 and subsequent disqualification of Driving License for not wearing helmet, stricter penalty for rash and negligent driving, and to protect the Good Samaritans from legal harassment besides having other life saving amendments will be imposed”.
According to the data shared by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, India recorded 5 lakhs road crashes and nearly 1.5 lakhs deaths in road accidents in the year 2015 alone. Approximately, 1,374 crashes and 400 deaths take place every day on Indian roads. The first quarter provisional data of January to March 2017 does show a minor reduction in both deaths and injuries as compared to last year in most states. A tough law is needed to further bring down road accidents by 50% by 2020 as a commitment of India made by adopting the Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety.
The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2017 was already cleared by the Lok Sabha in its last session and is due for passage by the Rajya Sabha.
