Staff Reporter

Panaji

Tourists visiting the state and opting to use rental cars or two-wheelers will henceforth have to sign an undertaking stating that they will not violate the traffic rules.

The move comes in the backdrop of several accidents that have occurred recently across the state involving rental cars.

According to police, the step has been taken to instil a sense of road discipline among tourists and to curb accidents on the state’s roads.

Police said the undertaking, which the tourists will have to sign when opting for a rental car or a two-wheeler, will have a mention of ten traffic rules and the respective penalties for violating them. The traffic police will conduct random inspection of the rent-a-bike/car operators and ask them for weekly reports in connection with the undertaking. Police will also conduct meetings and brief the rental vehicle operators accordingly.

“We have studied the data; they (tourists) are twice as likely to meet with an accident when compared to other vehicle drivers. These are some worrisome trends that have been observed,” said Superintendent of Police (SP), Traffic, Rahul Gupta during a press briefing at the traffic headquarters at Altinho, Panaji on Wednesday.

Gupta said, “One of the reasons for this is that they (tourists) are negligent about the traffic rules. They come on a holiday or vacation and are not aware of the topography of Goa…narrow roads, a lot of diversions and a lot of vehicular movement along these stretches.” As a result, the tourists visiting Goa are more likely to meet with an accident while driving or riding a vehicle, said Gupta.

Stating about the undertaking, Gupta said while one copy will be kept by the tourist using the rental vehicle, the other copy of the undertaking will be retained by the rent-a-car/bike operator.

“They (tourists) will become aware that traffic laws exist in Goa and that they must follow them or face penalties. The paper (undertaking) will be with them leading to a psychological impact. Presence of Goa police will further remind them about the road safety measures,” said Gupta.

Police inspectors of various traffic cells in the state have been assigned the task of briefing the rent-a-bike/car operators. “I appeal to the tourists, members of the public and the rent-a-bike/car agencies that they follow the regulation, as this measure has been taken for the safety of all and to promote Goa tourism in the long run,” said Gupta.