Driving license to be suspended for frequent violators

KATHMANDU, Jan 22: How often have you violated traffic rules? If you have already violated them more than four times, then beware because the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) can now suspend your driving license for up to six months.



In a move to better regulate traffic in the Valley, traffic police are going to suspend a driving license for six months if it has been marked five times for traffic rule violation.[break]



“Those who have already infringed traffic rules four times will now have to be extra careful to avoid a license suspension,” said DIG Ganesh Raj Rai, chief of MTPD.



He, however, added that traffic police will not punch a hole in the license without critically evaluating the nature of the traffic rule violation. “MTPD will punch the driving license only after taking into account the nature of the violation,” he said.



MTPD will recommend to the Department of Transport Management (DoTM) to punch the driving license if passenger vehicles are found carrying people on the roof, jumping the red light, overtaking from the left side, getting into an accident through overspeeding or if the person at the wheel is drink-driving.



DIG Rai accused DoTM of not implementing the existing provision in the Transportation Act on license suspension for traffic rule violation. He informed that the division will soon write to DoTM to implement the suspension provision at the earliest.



The new MTPD decision will not be subject to any time frame. “A violation occuring at any time will be counted as a violation,” Rai said.



As per this decision, holes punched in a driving license that is going to expire after a certain time won´t be replicated in the new-issued license. But MTPD and DoTM will keep records of frequent violations and holes punched in licenses.



The division has already punished 578,469 people in the Valley for violating traffic rules, including drink-driving, between December 16, 2011 and January 19, 2012.



MTPD catches 2,817 in 50 days for drink-driving



MTPD has already punished 2,817 people for drink-driving and collected Rs. 2.31 million in fines since December 3. The division has been taking diverse action such as arresting offenders, slapping a penalty of Rs. 1,000 and detaining them for a day. “We slap a Rs 1,000 fine if someone is found drink-driving but we remand them in custody for a night if they are drunk and not in control of themselves,” DSP Rai said.



Traffic police on duty are found examining manually for drink-driving for lack of breathalyzers. Rai said that the division needs 200 breathalyzers for the Valley.

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