Punjab: crackdown with higher fines, loss of licence points, to reduce traffic accidents
The Punjab government has increased fines for traffic violations and introduced a penalty point system. For activist Zafar Iqbal, “the positive impact is already visible.” Decades of negligence have led to chaos, notes journalist Hamza Arshad. Unhappy, ordinary people want a review of priorities.
Lahore (AsiaNews) – Under new provincial regulations, fines for 25 different traffic violations will increase in Punjab from the current 100-500 rupees to 2,000-20,000 rupees (about US-70). A penalty point system will be implemented with drivers who lose 20 points in a year will see their licences suspended for two months to a year.
These rules and penalties are designed to save the lives of citizens, in a province where road accidents are one of the leading causes of death.
Speeding will result in fines ranging from 2,000 to 20,000 rupees and a loss of four points. Traffic signal violations and driving the wrong way will result in fines ranging from 2,000 to 15,000 rupees, with a loss of four points.
Reckless driving will be punished with fines ranging from 3,000 to 15,000 rupees, with a loss of four points. Overloading vehicles will result in fines ranging from 2,000 to 15,000 rupees, plus the loss of four points. Using pressure horns will result in a fine ranging from 2,000 to 10,000 rupees, with a loss of two points.
In Lahore and Faisalabad, traffic challan codes are directly linked to the Punjab Traffic Police database. Electronic fines are issued via speed cameras installed across the cities, particularly on main roads and at intersections.
“As a citizen of Punjab, I welcome the recent laws and the strict enforcement of the traffic rules,” said Zafar Iqbal, a human rights activist who spoke to AsiaNews.
For him, these measures are “necessary” to improve public safety and reduce avoidable accidents.
“Strong regulation is helping cultivate discipline among drivers and restoring order on the roads. The positive impact is already visible, and continued enforcement will only strengthen this. I fully support these reforms as a vital step towards protecting citizens and promoting a responsible road culture.”
Hamza Arshad, educator and journalist, agrees. “It is good because due to decades of negligence and laxity, traffic on the roads has become a fatal mess and roads a killing ground. Now heavy fines are being imposed on those who violate traffic signals, drive without a licence, and on underage drivers,” he told AsiaNews.
It the past, motorcyclists in particular were not bothered by the paltry fine of Rs 200. “Now a Rs. 2,000 fine and threat of a FIR[*] are apposite deterrence. With increasing urban population and, thereby, a rising number of road users, it is necessary to organise traffic flow and make commuters follow rules and regulations. It is, after all, for their own good.”
While many have welcomed the new rules, not everyone shares this view. Some people are outraged by what they consider to be harsh rules and complain that the government has failed to provide necessary services, yet it is so quick to impose heavy fines on consumers.
They demand that the government first provide all necessary services, such as good jobs and adequate employment with good salaries for citizens, and then impose fines.
Responding to those angered by the new rules, Maaz BiN Mahmood, a writer and social media analyst, said that, “This logic is not good, because serving citizens is one thing and enforcing rules is another. Imposing fines is a punishment, not a reward, it is not linked to the services that you are being given.”
In practice, he argues that advice and punishment are two different things. For many years, people were told to drive properly and to use helmets, etc., “but we never followed these instructions,” he said. “Now the government is imposing fines and punishments against law breakers; that is fair enough.”
In fact, despite criticism, the new rules are essential for public safety and will likely reduce accidents.
[*] First Information Report.
.png)
20/07/2013
25/02/2022 14:00
