Drive responsibly or face music, MVD tells private bus operators

APPARENTLY identifying reckless driving by private bus drivers as a major cause of the alarming rise in the number of road accidents in the state, the motor vehicles department (MVD) has come out with a slew of deterrent measures like geotagging the carriers using GPS and suspending the permit of vehicles that cause serious accidents.

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The existing laws have the provisions to cancel the driver's licence for reckless driving, Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar said.

In a bid to put the onus of responsible driving on bus owners, it has been decided to suspend the permits of the carriers that cause fatal accidents for six months. The permit of buses involved in accidents with serious injuries will be suspended for three months, the minister said.

The first step in this direction will be the suspension of the permit of the private bus that caused the death of a pedestrian at East Fort in Thiruvananthapuram on December 6, he said.