NEW DELHI: The road transport ministry’s approval for higher speed limits for cars, buses and trucks on expressways and higher Limit for buses on highways is seen as a formality as officials concede that lax enforcement had made violation of earlier limits widespread.
This has prompted the government to explore new technologies to prevent speeding. Government officials also admitted that there was no enforcement on stretches within or close to major cities which had robust traffic police departments.
“Road accident data indicates that majority of vehicles involved in crashes on national highways are speeding. However, there is no scientific evidence to prove it. So, until you have a proper system in place to catch speedsters, you need to find innovative ways to prevent people from speeding,” an official said.
He added that the transport ministry would hold talks with stakeholders, including automobile manufacturers, on how to have in-built technology in new vehicles. While Electronic Control Units (ECU) can do this task, there are also technologies that automatically control the speed of a vehicle based on its location determined by a GPS device.
This can be of great help in reducing speed of vehicles near schools, hospitals and accident-prone locations. Transport ministry officials also said while the central government fixes the maximum speed limit, state and local authorities including traffic police have the mandate to set limits for different areas such as markets and city roads.
“The speed limit for motorcycles on expressways will depend on the government, whether it allows plying of such vehicles. Currently, twowheelers, three-wheelers and other slow moving vehicles are not allowed on expressways,” the official said.
Source : timesofindia