Don't yak on the phone and drive, the govt is watching

If you think smart driving is about negotiating curves while yakking on the cell phone, watch out. The government may soon make your dangerous addiction to multi-tasking an expensive affair. If the cops catch you in the act, you may have to pay a fine of Rs 500. A repeat will cost you Rs 5,000. And yes, if you are caught driving drunk you might be in jail long enough to forget your love for the tipple. The government has proposed drastic changes in the Motor Vehicle Act, making the penalty for its violation much stiffer. The proposal, which has been has been approved by the Union cabinet, has to be cleared by Parliament. This is good news for pedestrians and other drivers. For a change, the UPA government seems to be doing something right. Hit where it hurts the most – the purse. Where no rule works, taxing the wallets helps. That seems to be logic behind the government’s move. It makes sense. And it has to work. Nobody loves to part with money. Moreover, such action has worked really well in Mumbai where the rules against drunken driving are being strictly followed. [caption id=“attachment_231281” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Park that car if you want to talk on the phone. Don’t text and drive. AFP”]  [/caption] In case of violations which entails risks to others on the road — such as rash driving, drunken driving and driving while talking on the cell phone etc — an immediate jail sentence of seven days or more besides a stiff fine would have served better. But it would involve too many legal complications and thus should wait for another day. Ownership of a vehicle seems to have become a licence to be irresponsible for many. It is scary to notice drivers talking on their cell phones unceasingly — hands on and hands off — on busy roads. There are just too many of them, some driving just too fast to care about people around. The mixing of driving and talking is dangerous by itself and you never know if the man chattering away on his phone is drunk too. There is no estimate of people being killed due to drivers busy on their cell phones but given the number of people involved in the act the number of casualties should be high. Police action has, obviously, not worked. The drivers are normally powerful people and they ‘manage’ things well when caught. It is time they were punished severely. From a more cynical perspective, it is possible that errant drivers, incorrigible as they are, would try to bribe the traffic police and get away even after the amended Act is cleared. But the cops are expected to hike the charges for their services, which won’t be easy on the pockets of the drivers. Public shaming is not under the consideration of the government but it should try that too. Irresponsible drivers are always a bigger menace than drunken drivers. The government must come down heavy on them.