Bhubaneswar: Think twice before driving vehicles under the influence of alcohol as your driving license can get suspended.
As per the latest notification from the State Transport Authority (STA), the enforcement officers will suspend driving license for three months of offenders for violation of several traffic rules including drunken driving and over-speeding.
Other offences which will amount to suspension of driving licenses includes- red light jumping, using mobile phone while driving, carrying overload or passenger in goods vehicle as per directions of Supreme Court Committee on Road safety.
The directive came after Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety February 12, 2020 directed the following:
“The Committee observes that enforcement of traffic laws in the State continues to be poor and directs that the Committee’s direction dates August 8, 2015 and November 17, 2015 should be strictly implemented by the RTO and police wings and licenses of the violators should be suspended.”
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Prior to the amendment of MV Act 1988, driving license was suspended for three months as per the direction of Supreme Court Committee on road safety for the following offences-
-Driving at a speed exceeding the specified limit also including red-light jumping.
-Carrying overload in goods carriages and carrying persons in goods carriages.
-Driving vehicles under the influence of alcohol and drugs
-Using mobile phones while driving a vehicle.
The Supreme Court Committee on road safety in 2015 directed that the traffic police should take possession of the driving license of the violator and forward it to the transport department of the concerned State/UT, who would suspend the license for a period not less than three months under Section 19 of Motor Vehicles Act 1988 read with Rule 21 of Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989.
The concerned transport department subsequently used to return the driving license to the violator after expiry of the said period.
However, after the amendment of the Motor Vehicles Act in September 2019, the enforcement officers were in dilemma regarding suspension of driving license for the above mentioned offences.
Odisha State Transport Authority (STA) officials informed that in view of the direction of Supreme Court’s Committee, it is ordered that driving license of offenders should be suspended for three months on commission of offences for the first time. The police officers will seize the driving licenses of the offenders and forward the same to the concerned RTOs within seven days for suspension of driving license.
(Edited By Bikram Keshari Jena)