A year after government order: Many vehicles yet to install speed governors in Mumbai
A senior police inspector from the highway police department said: “While we do not immediately check for requirement of speed governors in transport vehicles. Our flying squads keep a check on speed of vehicles and adherence to traffic rules on roads.” (Representational Image) A senior police inspector from the highway police department said: “While we do not immediately check for requirement of speed governors in transport vehicles. Our flying squads keep a check on speed of vehicles and adherence to traffic rules on roads.” (Representational Image)
MORE THAN a year after the state directed vehicles to install speed governors to curb accidents, scores of vehicles not in immediate need of renewal of permits continue to ply without the device, even as the Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) in the city claim they strictly comply with the order while conducting fitness checks.
All goods carriers (including multi-axel trucks), tempos, school buses and tractors (used for mass transport) have been asked to install the device.
On Sunday, senior Congress leader Sanjay Chaupane, the secretary of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, died and other leaders were injured in an accident in Aurangabad. The SUV in which they were travelling reportedly collided with a bus at Bhendala Phata on the Aurangabad-Gangapur Road.
Records from the traffic department revealed that 21,365 road accidents have taken place in the state in the first six months of 2016 compared to 18,730 in 2017. Of the 18,730 accidents recorded this year, 10,665 led to serious injuries and 6,394 were fatal.
“We are scrutinising whether vehicles have installed the speed governors. When vehicles come for renewal of fitness certificates and checks, we advise the owners to install the governors if they are not in place. We also keep fitness checks on hold if the device has not been installed,” a senior RTO official said.
The directive to install speed governors in vehicles was issued in April last year and the government had asked owners of kaali peelis to get the devices by May this year. It had also limited their speed to 80 kmph. Upon requests from taxis and transport associations asking for more time to install the devices, the government extended the deadline August 31.
“Speed governors are required for safety. Many drivers tell us that they are not finding the right kind of governors for their vehicles and that is delaying the installation. After August 31, we will be strict against errant vehicles,” the official added.
A senior police inspector from the highway police department said: “While we do not immediately check for requirement of speed governors in transport vehicles. Our flying squads keep a check on speed of vehicles and adherence to traffic rules on roads.”
Transport expert A V Shenoy said: “In most cases, absence of speed governors in heavy vehicles takes a heavy toll on smaller vehicles involved in a crash. As many vehicles still do not see the presence of airbags as a safety measure, the result of such accidents are hazardous. Also, many places on expressways and highways have black spots where accidents happen in large numbers. Ensuring speed control as a precautionary measure for these spots is a must.”
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