Many Bangaloreans are guilty of texting while driving. Little do they realise that it's a far more dangerous option than speaking on the phone
Many Bangaloreans are guilty of texting while driving. Little do they realise that it's a far more dangerous option than speaking on the phone
Bangalore drivers are more than willing to take their eyes off the road to send an SMS.
They think they've worked around the law that prohibits talking on the phone while driving but authorities insist that it's a violation all the same, and a more dangerous one at that.
SMSing is also a mobile utility and a traffic violation punishable with a fine, said traffic expert Prof M N Srihari.u00a0
In fact, texting is far more dangerous than calling since you have to take your eyes off the road, he added.
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Watch that wheel: Texting while driving can come with a heavy cost |
Prove it!
But drivers use every loophole in the book to get away.
An IT worker from Bangalore, who texts while driving, agrees that it is a dangerous thing to do but is not sure if imposing laws against it is a good idea.u00a0
"If a law were put in place, how do you differentiate texting and driving from texting in a parked car or texting while you stop in traffic? I don't know if a ban would be good because it seems too hard to enforce."
Srihari agrees. With hands-free devices and bluetooth-fitted mobile phones, police are helpless. "Drivers could argue that they were not using the phone and police may find it difficult to prove otherwise," Srihari added.
Also, a driver can say he was listening to a song or just fixing the gadget. So, the onus is on the traffic police to prove that the driver is using it, said deputy commissioner of police (traffic, west) Panduranga H Rane.
Bad company?And what of mobile-fitted cars like the Grande Punto?
Srihari said the transport department should take note. It's a serious violation of traffic rules and anyone can file a Public Interest Litigation, objecting to the cars.
Moreover, if such cars are involved in an accident, the police can also include the company as the third party in the case.
Rane, however, said that it was an offence only if the driver was using the mobile phone. There is no violation if the passenger uses the phone, he said.
(With inputs by Jonathan Banasky)'I shouldn't do it'
Rahul Jaiswal, a retail consultant who makes it a point not to text and drive, thinks there should be more people to monitor drivers. "And if you are penalised more than once, there should be some kind of consequence on your driving licence."u00a0
A retail worker, who frequently texts in traffic, said: "I know I shouldn't do it but when I'm stuck in traffic, the temptation is hard to resist.u00a0 I hope there won't be a fine because I would probably end up paying a lot of money."
You call this a fine?In Bangalore, the fine for using a mobile phone (talking or texting) is Rs 100.
In South Wales, police have installed long-range text-finding cameras and impose fines as high as u00a31,000 (about Rs 80,000).
Growing numbersNo of cases booked by the city traffic police for using mobile phones while driving:
June 30, 2009: 24,108
2008:u00a0 40,282
2007: 19,372
2006: 29,496
2005: 34,131
