Now, jail for speeding

Buoyed by a steep decline in cases of drunk driving over the past couple of years after courts began sending offenders to jail, Delhi police have now requested that those booked for dangerous driving also be given prison terms.

Speed thrills. But soon, it may also land you in jail.

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Buoyed by a steep decline in cases of drunk driving over the past couple of years after courts began sending offenders to jail, Delhi police have now requested that those booked for dangerous driving also be given prison terms.

Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act suggests imprisonment of up to six months for dangerous driving, but the provision is yet to be invoked in any case.

"A sudden spurt in fatal road accidents because of speeding in the recent past has prompted us to take this measure. We have proposed that courts award motorists jail terms for dangerous driving," Satyendra Garg, the joint commissioner of police (traffic), said.

The police, on their part, have intensified checks on speeding drivers with the help of 10 interceptors. Over the next two months, they will install 70 infrared cameras to record instances of speeding twenty-four seven. The cameras designed by Delhi Integrated Multi Modal Transit System Ltd.

"We will install the cameras at accident-prone spots on national highways, Ring Road, Outer Ring Road, Lodhi Road, Nelson Mandela Marg and Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road after an approval from the home ministry," Garg said.

Motorists are being issued notices for driving at speeds up to 20km more that the limit on a particular road (See box). But speeding beyond the mark would be considered dangerous, for which the police want the jail terms.

According to the existing fine structure under the Motor Vehicles Act 1989, a motorist is issued a challan of Rs400 for speeding, while the fine for dangerous driving is Rs1,000.

On the other hand, setting a record of sorts, the traffic police prosecuted 881 motorists on Friday for speeding. Of them, 814 were cars.