Monday, 17 JULY 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Stating that driving on the wrong side of the road is one of the main reasons for road accidents, the Transport department has started a checking drive against such traffic violators in Dehradun. The regional transport officer (enforcement) of Dehradun division Shailesh Tiwari said that it was found on analysing the statistics of vehicular accidents that most of them happened in Dehradun due to driving on the wrong side. He said that recently six persons were killed when a car collided with a bus coming from the wrong side on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway. This practice is also becoming common in various parts of the city which is leading to several accidents too. “Just to save a few seconds to cross the road from the right side, people drive on the wrong side of the road and increase the risk of accidents. They tend to think of it as a harmless act when it is absolutely risky and dangerous to act this way, especially on major roads and highways,” added Tiwari. He said that driving on the wrong side leads to various traffic issues like traffic jams, fatal accidents of vehicle operators as well as pedestrians, and sometimes people get killed too. He said that driving on the wrong side is a punishable offense under section 184 (dangerous operation) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, in which, if caught for the first time, the authorities can impose a fine of Rs 1,000 to 5,000 besides imprisonment of up to six months. The driving license can be suspended for three months. If a person is caught for a second or more time, authorities can impose a fine of up to Rs 10,000 and imprisonment of up to two years besides revoking the license, added Tiwari. He said that the department in the weekend imposed penalties on over 50 vehicle operators who were driving on the wrong side of the routes in areas like Haridwar Road, Saharanpur Road, Chakrata Road, GMS Road, and Rajpur Road where dividers are installed too. The campaign was run under four officials of the enforcement team with the help of four bike squads of the department. He said that drivers driving on the wrong side are also being monitored via interceptors equipped with cameras and the department is sending notices to offenders captured in them. Such footage is also used in court against offenders if they decide to challenge the department. The campaign will be continued in the future as well, added Tiwari.
