In the backdrop of nine people being killed in a road accident in Kerala’s Palakkad, the state government has made it mandatory for drivers to make social services and training if they are found violating traffic laws. The decision was taken after a high-level meeting was chaired by Transport Minister Antony Raju in this regard, say reports.
According to the new laws, drivers involved in critical road accidents and those found driving under the influence of intoxicants will have to compulsorily provide services at the trauma care centres and palliative care units for not less than three days. A three-day mandatory training at the Institute of Driver Training and Research (IDTR) at Edappal has also been ordered.
Moreover, strict action would be taken against two-wheelers, which are illegally modified and fitted with horns.
The erring drivers of contract carriages like tourist buses, state carriages plying on routes and goods carriage, who violate the provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act, would be covered in the mandatory service-cum-training programme in the initial phase, the Minister’s office said. Under the ‘Focus- 3 special drive’ which was launched to detect violations of contract and stage carriages, a total of 4,472 cases have been registered so far.
