4K driving licences of traffic offenders revoked within 3 months; most penalties imposed for helmet violations

Panaji: In a crackdown on traffic offenders, the Ministry of Transport revoked the driving licenses of more than 4,000 drivers within just three months, from January 1 to March 31, 2024, with most of the penalties being imposed for violations of the helmet requirement.

The traffic police recommended the suspension of 5,211 driving licenses due to various violations; 4,025 of these suspensions were issued by the Ministry of Transport.

Most of the driving bans were due to violations of the helmet requirement (2,824), followed by 561 for speeding, 230 for using a mobile phone while driving and 171 for drunk driving.

SC policy for 3-month suspension for traffic violations

Authorities are following the guidelines of the Supreme Court’s Road Safety Committee, which provide for a three-month driving license suspension for traffic violations, in an effort to curb the rising number of road accidents and fatalities.

According to data available to The Goan, the transport department had recommended suspension of 3,361 helmetless drivers, of which 2,824 were implemented. Similarly, 1,002 suspensions were recommended for speeding, with about 50 percent facing suspension.

Among other things, the traffic police recommended a ban on 280 fines for using mobile phones, 239 fines for drunk driving, 197 fines for ignoring traffic signals, 90 fines for carrying two or more passengers on a two-wheeler, 35 fines for carrying trucks with passengers, six fines for reckless and negligent driving and one fine for not wearing a seat belt.

The highest number of driving licence suspensions (1,407) were imposed by the Office of the Deputy Director of Transport in Margao, followed by Mapusa ADT with 871 suspensions, Bicholim 662, Vasco 311, Quepem 285, Pernem 180, Panaji 145, Ponda 124, Canacona 34 and Dharbandora with the lowest number of six suspensions.

About the SC Committee Guidelines

According to the SC Committee guidelines, JMFCs have the authority to revoke drivers’ licenses for driving under the influence of alcohol, which is then enforced by the traffic department.

The state is battling a worrying accident trend with an average of one accident being reported every two days. The recent drunk driving accident at Verna IDC, in which four workers were killed, has rocked the state and triggered a tightening of the law on drunk driving and other traffic violations.