Jumping signal or using phone while driving will cost you your licence

Nagpur: If you thought you can jump a traffic signal or use mobile phone while driving and get away by paying a fine, you are in for a shock. Nagpur traffic police are now suspending driving licences of such offenders.
In the five months this year, the traffic police have asked regional transport office (RTO) to suspend driving licences of 2,425 violators. These are for violations like over speeding, using mobile phones, carrying passengers in goods vehicles, signal jumping, drunken drive and unruly behaviour by autorickshaw drivers. Traffic police seized the licences and sent them to RTO for suspension between January 1 and May 31, 2019.
In this period traffic police booked 34,625 drivers under these offences. So they have recommended suspension of licences for 7% drivers only.
Traffic Police initially only seized licences of repeat offenders but now even first-time offenders will have their licences taken away for at least three months. The traffic police term this change a “silent revolution”.
“Given that around 20 lakh vehicles ply on Nagpur’s roads, we have kept one in 10 drivers away from the wheels for at least three months,” a senior officer from the traffic branch said.
According to the officer, Traffic Police had been recommending the cancellation of driving licences for a long time as per Motor Vehicles Act Sections 19 and 21, but it was nowhere close to the scale it is today. “We were cautious in implementing the stringent rule. We did it only in case of repeat offenders,” the officer claimed.
The officer also pointed out that even a Supreme Court-appointed committee had issued directions to seize driving licences for five grave traffic violations speeding, signal jumping, drunk driving, use of mobile phones while driving and carrying passengers in goods vehicles.
According to data from traffic branch, driving licences of 1,494 people were suspended for driving under the influence of liquor, while licences of 397 have been suspended for jumping signals and 311 for using mobile phones while driving.
Traffic experts called it a welcome step. They admitted lack of enforcement in city had increased violations manifold. Suspending licence was far more stringent move than simply paying a few hundred rupees and getting away, experts added. They pointed the traffic police needed to make people aware of their new stance.
Violations---Offences reported---Licence suspended
Overspeeding---535---18
Using mobile phone while driving---6777---311
Carrying passenger in goods vehicles---1067---79
Red light jumping----15747---397
Drunken drive---9544---1494
Unruly autorickshaws---955---126