The Supreme Court directed all states and union territories on Wednesday to urgently install speed governors, vehicle location tracking devices (VLTDs), and emergency panic buttons in passenger transport vehicles under Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR). A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan flagged abysmal compliance during a road safety PIL, noting less than 1% of vehicles have VLTDs despite rising accident deaths.
The court decried violations of Rule 118 (speed governors) and Rule 125H (VLTDs and panic buttons), which enable GPS tracking to a central command center for emergencies like abductions or medical distress. Panic buttons alert police instantly. Justices emphasized lane discipline training, even for illiterate drivers, amid data showing under 5% vehicles with speed limiters.
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No fitness certificates or permits will issue to non-compliant vehicles. States must file fresh compliance reports via the VAHAN portal, retrofit existing fleets, and ensure new vehicles come pre-installed. Manufacturers face up to ₹1 lakh fines, with vehicle impoundment possible.
Amicus curiae Gaurav Agarwal highlighted the 2018 MoRTH order’s ignored potential for golden-hour responses. The matter returns in September. This builds on prior SC orders for cashless accident treatment and surveillance tools.
India saw 480,583 road crashes and 172,890 deaths in 2023, with Uttar Pradesh topping fatalities at 23,652. Overspeeding persists due to low speed-limiting device adoption (just 1.07 million of 21.8 million transport vehicles).
(This story has been published from a syndicated feed)
