Assam: Rampant Use Of Mobile Phones While Driving Raises Safety Concerns; Urgent Action Needed

GUWAHATI: Attending to mobile phones while driving is menacingly increasing in the state, leading to accidents, besides affecting the smooth movement of vehicular traffic. The lack of strict measures from the traffic police and DTO staffers is letting the mobile-savvy drivers go ahead with this life-threatening practice.

Calling, attending to calls, texting, and other uses of mobile phones while driving are offences under Section 184 © of the MV (Motor Vehicle) Act, 1988. This practice calls for fines ranging from Rs 1,500 to Rs 5,000 in some other states. In Assam, in case of the first violation, the fine is Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 for the second violation.

Section 184 © of the MV Act says no person can use handheld communication devices (mobile phones) while driving or riding motor vehicles. For a second such violation of rules, there are provisions for a two-year jail or Rs 10,000 fine, or both.

According to a study conducted by IIT Delhi, in 2022, as many as 1,132 people lost their lives in accidents in the country due to the use of mobile phones while driving. The study shows two major reasons for accidents while using mobile phones: first, the driver gets distracted while using a mobile phone, and secondly, he speeds up the vehicle unknowingly, both leading to accidents, including fatal ones.

In Guwahati and other urban areas, the use of mobile phones while driving is rampant. Even such violations take place right under the very noses of traffic police personnel. No drives against such violations are seen in the state, be it by the DTO staffers or traffic police personnel.

The situation has come to such a point that a section of drivers uses mobile phones while taking a U-turn and crossing a ‘chariali’, making the vehicle drivers behind them to adjust or negotiate. Even cab drivers like Ola, Uber, and other private taxis frequently use their mobile phones while driving.

A retired police officer said, “Young people are more akin to the practice of using mobile phones while driving four-wheelers and riding two-wheelers. They can receive urgent calls by parking their vehicles on roadsides, but they don’t feel like doing that. Some riders of two-wheelers even go to the extent of using mobile phones held between the shoulder and the heck.” 

A survey report on using mobile phones said that using mobile phones while driving is one of the most offensive traffic rule violations, as a few seconds of diverted consciousness can not only put one in danger but also cause danger for someone else’s life.

The moot question is: will the transport department and traffic police personnel take this menace seriously, and if so, when? As of now, they are treating this menace casually.

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