770 licences suspended in 2017

Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, February 24

A total of 770 driving licences (DLs) were recommended for suspension by the Jalandhar traffic police in 2017 for traffic violations, including drunken driving, red-light jumping, talking on mobile phone while driving, overloading and over speeding. Maximum number of licences have been suspended for drunken driving.

The Jalandhar traffic police had adopted this new rule of suspending the licenses for violation of traffic offences in 2017. Initially, the traffic police started suspending the DLs for traffic offences, including over speeding, red-light jumping, talking on mobile phone while driving and drunken driving. However, later another offence of over-loading was added to the list. The figure mentioned above takes into account the nine month’s period from April to December 2017.

The licences are suspended for three months even if the motorists are caught for the violation for the first time.

As per the official figures, 770 licences were recommended for suspension by the traffic police for five traffic offences during the last year. Meanwhile, 42 licences had also been suspended in the last 50 days from January 2018 till now.

Of the total number of 770 suspended licences, 350 licences were suspended on the account of drunken driving, 173 licences were of the motorists who were caught jumping the red light. Around 81 driving licences have been suspended for talking on mobile phones while driving while149 and 15 were suspended for over-speeding and over-loading, respectively.

Kulwant Singh Heer, ADCP (traffic), said the number of licences suspended for drunken driving comprise most of the challans out of the total 770, followed by red-light jumping. “Many times, drivers are not carrying their licences. In that case, their challans are forwarded to the transport authority for the necessary action,” the ADCP said.

As per the rule, the traffic police recommends licences for suspension to the local transport authority where DLs are sent to the issuing authority for suspension. The traffic violator after the completion of three months has to collect the challan from the office of issuing authority concerned.

Police officials said the decision to suspend the driving licence is acting as a deterrent for the motorists. We also advice motorists to follow all traffic rules, as it will save them from getting penalised and will make their journey safe.