Rash driving: Govt mulling cancelling licence of drivers

With increase in road accidents due to rash driving, Kerala Government is considering strictly enforcing the rule of cancellation of driving licences of those involved in reckless and drunken driving.
Stating this in the assembly while replying to a notice for an adjournment motion on the alarming increase in the case of road accidents, Transport Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said driving license was issued for safe driving and not for reckless driving.
Expressing concern over the road accidents and loss of human life, he said the government was aware of the issue and had taken a number of steps to reduce the accidents.

Introduction of speed governors in heavy vehicles and restrictions in running time of tankers in cities were some of the measures implemented by the government, he said.
Among other things, increase in the number of vehicles on roads had also led to problems, he said adding the number of vehicles had risen to over 80 lakhs from six lakhs in 1960.
Seeking leave for moving the motion, E P Jayarajan said the poor maintenance of roads, unscientific implementioin of traffic rules, drunken and rash driving were some of the major causes for the increases in road accidents in the state.

He sought urgent government intervention to reduce accidents by enforing traffic rules strictly. He said in 2013, over 40,000 road accidents occured in the state in which more than 4,000 people lost their lives.
Another major issue involved was problem connected with large number of people who became incapaciated due to serious injuries sustained in accidents, he said adding their number would come to around nearly one lakh.
Jayarajan took up the accident issue in the assembly in the wake of death of a woman and her nine-year old daughter in a tragic road accident at a city subrub yesterday.