Are you ready for hefty traffic fine..

It’s a great pleasure to write a blog for a social cause.. Recently government of India increased the traffic fines by almost 10x times hoping that the hefty traffic fines would force public to follow traffic  rules. I have tried to give a dimension to this whole episode with respect to the responsibilities of the Government, Individuals & Institution. The increase in fine has created  uproar as well as support among the public. It is usual in any democracy to have such split opinions. I think I was in 9th grade when my class teacher was very fond of imposing hefty fines. In those time a fine of ten rupees was hefty for a ninth grader.

I have been in the construction industry for almost 20yrs. Apart from the hazards at the project site, a constant threat was travel related safety. Hence we were educated to follow the traffic rules time and again.

Coming back to the topic, I happened to hear opinion from friends, Indian colleagues about  the hefty fines which have sent shock waves among all sects of people. I watched a Telugu movie earlier this year, starring Mahesh Babu in the lead role. In the movie Mahesh Babu, was forced to return to India from UK only to become an accidental chief minister.  First thing he notices was the havoc in the traffic comparing to traffic in UK, so he decides to impose heavy fines. In no time after the implementation of hefty traffic fines, orderliness was restored. It was a mass scene for the audience who commented that government shall take such stern actions. Well!!! people you got, what you asked for, then why this hue & cry against implementation of hefty fines. Next time be more careful before trending such memes, tweets etc.. it reaches the office bearers in a jiffy.

The most affected by these hefty fines are bike and scooter riders. Since every middleclass household has bikes or scooters in their house, hence hefty traffic fines  has become a concern for the middleclass. Many complain that the tropical sub-continent climate is not suitable for wearing helmets. Well: while its true, bearing the heat  is far better then a head injury. Safety is everybody's responsibility. Someone's recklessness may jeopardize others  on- road safety.

 Many state governments were not ready to implement the fine, while others are yet to decide. Though I personally feel that these fines are need of the hour which also raises a few question. Has the government taken necessary actions prior to the implementation of hefty fines, such as creating awareness to the public,  traffic safety campaign and implementation of safety warning in the vehicles dashboard. Government can’t simply introduce hefty fines without creating enough public awareness .

Another important aspect which officials need to workout is a mechanism to cope up with bribing of  traffic officers to avoid fines. Also there shall be a way to waive the fines for those who violate the rules unknowingly, like forgetting to carry their license or helmet and to the poor who can’t afford the fine at-least for their first violation.

Among all the traffic fines driving without license, drunken driving, over-speeding, driving in opposite direction & one way violation shall be dealt with out any deviation or waiver. Violations of not wearing safety helmets, safety belt etc.. shall be dealt by creating awareness. I happened to hear the interview of Chennai Joint Commissioner, where he stated that 96% of the traffic related deaths could have been avoided if the rider or driver were wearing helmets or seatbelts . Mass awareness needs to be created via visual media, printed media and social media. Though government is not running on fines, the fines would generate enough fund to run the awareness campaign. But there is a Good news for all the people throughout India, there is a way to escape from fines. The escape route is very simple.. “Follow the rules”

Indispire community has raised a valid topic in edition 292 “Are hefty traffic violation fines justifiable??”

My take on this topic:  I do believe that these hefty traffic fines could be beneficial in a long run as it hurts the pocket and impose a dent on the monthly budget. Singapore is one classic example of how hefty traffic fines could change the mentality of the public. Strict implementation of traffic rules & fines will create a positive change in the mindset of next generation. Side by side awareness shall be created so that the number of violators decrease. I am pretty sure Indians will raise their self-awareness, become self-disciplined and number of violations will decrease without any force. Inspire your family & community to follow traffic rules by following the rules.

-Blog By: Allwyn Chellakumar

Picture courtesy: Pictures are collected from internet. Thankful to whom so ever have created these great images

About the Blog:

Allwyn's blog has many self-improvement, motivational and Inspiration blog articles. Get the latest update as soon as a new blog is posted by following the  blog directly or through social media accounts to get updates on the latest post



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