HC's emotional appeal to motorists: Drive carefully

Also seeking to sensitise the police to invoke the correct provision of law in the FIRs that are registered on road traffic accidents, the division bench comprising Justice N Kirubakaran and Justice R Pongiappan said the punishments were often inadequate, as rash and negligent drivers were let off with only a warning or minimum sentence.

The court pulled up the police for registering the case mechanically, without including the appropriate provisions of Indian Penal Code and Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. “Even if a person drives without license… the police are negligent in including the relevant provision while registering the case.”

“The Supreme Court, on many occasions, has deprecated this practice and directed the police to invoke Section 304 Part II of IPC, which deals with causing the death of a person by a rash or negligent act so that it would have a deterrent effect on the riders/drivers and make them abide by road rules,” thebench added.

The bench made these observations while suo motu enhancing the compensation awarded to the parents, wife and the minor child of a road accident victim to Rs 25.30 lakh from Rs 18.88 lakh.

This case should be an eye-opener for motorists to drive the vehicles at a normal speed and follow the rules and regulations, the bench said, reminding them that violations like drunken driving, reckless driving, speaking over mobile phone while driving, etc., could not only injure or kill others but lead to their own death as well.