NEW traffic regulations in Punjab, involving hefty fines and penalties, are being criticized by some vested interests purely for the sake of criticism, even though initial reports indicate an improvement in the ground situation due to the deterrent effect of the law.
Punjab traffic police authorities on Tuesday rightly defended the recent amendments to the Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1965, asserting that the revised penalties are not meant to burden citizens but to ensure long-ignored traffic laws are finally enforced.
The logic for an increase in penalties was explained by DIG Traffic Muhammad Waqas Nazir who said Punjab now has over 25.5 million registered vehicles, with nearly five million travelling across provincial roads daily — a traffic volume far beyond what the decades-old legal framework was designed to handle. He said authorities were compelled to increase fines after repeated violations showed that “low penalties were no longer acting as a deterrent.” Traffic violations were the main cause of casualties on roads and it is a reality that lives are more precious than money or harsher penalties. It is also a reality that most road accidents involve underage drivers but lamentably the provincial government succumbed to the intense criticism by issuing directions not to arrest them. This virtually amounts to giving them a license to kill. The parents and members of the civil society also have a responsibility not to allow children to drive motor-cycles and other vehicles imperiling their own lives and those of others. It may also be pointed out that traffic violations would not end merely by increasing penalties as violations are ignored by corrupt elements within the traffic police. Stricter action against them is also warranted.
