Nagpur: Cracking the whip, the Nagpur Regional Transport Office (RTO) has started suspending the driving licenses of those found driving without seatbelts in the city. Wearing seatbelts while driving a four-wheeler is mandatory as per rules, and the RTO has taken a tough stance against violators.
The Nagpur City RTO has suspended the driving licenses of 515 errant four-wheeler drivers this year based on recommendations from the traffic police. Apart from penalizing violators, the traffic police have started recommending suspension of driving licenses of four-wheeler drivers for at least three months. This is the first time that the RTO has started suspending the licenses of drivers for violating the seatbelt rule, confirmed Transport Department officials.
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Tuesday 18 Feb. 2025
According to Assistant RTO Harshal Dake, most violators had their driving license suspended after they were caught for repeat offenses. The traffic police send a list of violators to the RTO every month for suspension of driving licenses. Besides this, the RTO also suspends licenses of traffic violators. Dake mentioned that these violators generally lead to road accidents, and to prevent accidents, their licenses are being suspended.
The department has begun suspending driving licenses of violators for not less than three months under Section 19 of the MVA, 1988, read with Rule 21 of the Central MV Rules, 1989. The violations include driving at a speed exceeding the specified limit, jumping red lights, using mobiles while driving, etc.
The decision to suspend driving licenses has been taken in view of the increase in road accidents. In the first quarter of this calendar year, the City and East offices of the Transport Department have suspended the driving licenses of 13 drivers/riders for speeding, 32 for signal jumping, 203 for using mobile phones while driving, and 567 two-wheeler riders for riding without helmets.
In 2022, both the City and East RTOs had suspended driving licenses of 11,672 motorists based on recommendations from the traffic police. In 2021, as many as 7,474 drivers faced suspension of their driving licenses, and in 2020, a total of 9,315 drivers had their licenses suspended when the city was under Covid-induced lockdown.
The RTO’s strict stance on seatbelt violations and other traffic offenses serves as a reminder for all drivers to follow traffic rules and regulations to prevent road accidents.
