The Supreme Court on 6th January directed its panel led by a former apex court judge, Justice A.M. Sapre, to meet with the Road Transport Secretary and work out a framework to mould State-specific guidelines for the electronic monitoring and enforcement of road safety across States.
Key points and issues
- The Supreme Court acknowledged that speeding is the main cause of fatal accidents on Indian roads.
- A Bench led by Chief Justice of India agreed that urgent steps need to be taken to enforce Section 136A of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The Section 136A deals with electronic monitoring and enforcement of road safety.
- The provision was introduced into the Motor Vehicles Act in 2019 to keep an electronic eye on errant drivers on national and State highways, roads, and urban cities across the country.
- The central government has already framed Rules under sub-section (2) of Section 136A which mandates the Centre to “make rules for the electronic monitoring and enforcement of road safety including speed cameras, closed-circuit television cameras, speed guns, body wearable cameras, and such other technology”.
- Sections 215A and B provided the functions of electronic monitoring to the States and the formation of a National Road Safety Board in an advisory capacity. Road safety councils were to be set up at the national, State, and district levels.
- It was highlighted that the “black spots” or accident-prone areas on roads where mishaps happen without the fault of drivers.
(Source: The Hindu)
