Ban on smoking while driving
Let me clearly say it. I am totally in favor of banning smoking while driving. It’s hard. I know coz I have tried it. I don’t do it.
The ban applicable in the Delhi city is said to be the first of its kind in the world. Pretty awesome. I had loved it when the Delhi courts had forced the public transport to shift to CNG fuel. Delhi is a much livable place now.
However, the fine of Rs. 1500 makes the ban unrealistic. Let’s see. A driver is caught smoking while driving on Delhi roads. Here are the three scenarios…
- He pays the fine: Sounds cool. He would think twice before doing it again. Very unlikely situation.
- He bribes the cop and escapes any fine: Most probable situation. Government gets nothing. It becomes government sponsored extortion for the cops.
- He cannot pay the fine: In this situation, he might be offered to pay a bribe and leave. Otherwise, I believe he would be told to give away his driving license and appear in the court on a later date. Do we really want the courts to handle these kinds of cases? They are already overburdened.
After five offenses the driving license is cancelled. Now, how hard is it to get a license in India? Everyone knows the reality.
A more realistic solution of this problem would be… The fine should be logical. A 200 or 500 rupee fine would not hurt most but the possibility of a bribe is lessened.
The courts and the government should also instead work harder on cleaning up the licensing procedure. I am pretty sure if only good drivers get hold of a driving license, the problems related to bad driving in the Delhi city would solve by itself.
April 11th, 2007 at 01:46 pm
Well, you could look at the current state in neighbouring country, Bhutan.
Smoking is banned. Yes, you heard right, It is banned and has been like that for a year now.
April 12th, 2007 at 12:16 am
Well, you could look at the current state in neighbouring country, Bhutan.
Smoking is banned. Yes, you heard right, It is banned and has been like that for a year now.
May 14th, 2007 at 02:00 am
The world is Fucked! I dont smoke but, what are these idiots doing. The new industry is the meddle control industry. Nothing better to do than interfere with people.
May 14th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
The world is Fucked! I dont smoke but, what are these idiots doing. The new industry is the meddle control industry. Nothing better to do than interfere with people.
September 3rd, 2007 at 04:53 am
Well, in the UK some drivers have been pulled over for drinking a can of coke at the wheel of their car. Presumably the ban in Delhi is about smoking distracting the drivers and crashing, as opposed to it being a health thing?
September 3rd, 2007 at 08:23 pm
Well, in the UK some drivers have been pulled over for drinking a can of coke at the wheel of their car. Presumably the ban in Delhi is about smoking distracting the drivers and crashing, as opposed to it being a health thing?
March 14th, 2008 at 07:00 pm
yeah. its nothing related to health. the government makes tons of money from cig companies. and they cannot afford losing that money.
smoking in public is not allowed in india. but no one checks for that.
March 15th, 2008 at 05:30 am
yeah. its nothing related to health. the government makes tons of money from cig companies. and they cannot afford losing that money.
smoking in public is not allowed in india. but no one checks for that.