Indus Valley Times

DL will be suspended for 3 months if caught driving without helmet

By Nalini Sahu

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 1: Riding a two-wheeler without wearing a helmet in Odisha will prove costly for riders as the state government, as per earlier decision, is going to ensure strict enforcement of provisions under the Motor Vehicle Act.

The state transport department and police have braced up for crackdown on the violators of the motor vehicle laws.

A two-wheeler rider would invite suspension of his Driving Licence (DL) for a period of three months if found riding the vehicle without wearing a helmet.

The state government had also earlier made helmets mandatory for pillion riders.

The state transport department secretary had earlier written to the Odisha DGP, asking him to enforce the laws strictly.

The letter read “As per section 194 D of the Motor Vehicles Act, whoever drives a motorcycle or causes or allows a motorcycle to be driven in contravention of the provision of section 129 or the rules of regulation made thereunder shall be punishable with a fine of Rs 1000 and he shall be disqualified for holding license for a period of three months.”

The commerce and transport department has asked the Road Transport Officers (RTOs) to submit a list of the violators and suspension of their DLs.

The State government has asked the RTOs and police to act tough on traffic violators involving drunken driving, over-speeding, driving without helmet and driving with use of mobile phone.

Sources said that a Supreme Court committee has insisted on stricter enforcement of the particular provision of the MV Act.

As per the reports of state Crime Branch (CB), the fatalities due to road mishap have increased by 27.5 per cent in the province between September and October 2020. While 684 accidents deaths were reported in September and October 2019, the number jumped to 872 during these two months this year, official sources said.

Six days ago, the transport department had written Collectors of all the 30 districts in the state, asking them to submit a report explaining the reasons for the rising fatalities and measures to reduce deaths.