In 2 days, 865 school vehicles prosecuted

Wednesday, Feb 02, 2011




A photo of an overcrowded Maruti van ferrying schoolchildren posted on a popular social networking site by an ordinary citizen triggered off a special drive by the Delhi Traffic Police against errant school vehicles. Drivers of 520 school vehicles were booked on Monday and another 345 were prosecuted on Tuesday for offences ranging from overcrowding to dangerous driving to driving without licence. Several private vehicles were also found carrying schoolchildren without valid papers.

Joint commissioner of police (traffic) Satyendra Garg said, "Out of the 865 vehicles prosecuted, 370 were school buses while 495 were school vans. We also impounded 54 and 42 vehicles on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, for registration or permit violations. The drive was conducted across the city when the vehicles were dropping students home after school on Monday. On Tuesday, we carried out checks in the morning too. We intend to keep up the drive as it is a matter of safety of schoolchildren and others on road."

On Monday, the maximum number of violations were reported in south Delhi where 146 drivers were prosecuted and 22 vehicles impounded. West Delhi came a close second with 131 drivers being booked and eight vehicles impounded. From Parliament and Lajpat Nagar circles, cops impounded nine vehicles each - the maximum for any traffic circle. "Several private Maruti vans carry more children than what is allowed. Usually, the seating capacity of a Maruti van is eight adults, including the driver. Even though the Delhi government notification allows not more than 11 children and the adult driver in a Maruti van, several school vans are seen ferrying over 15 children, putting their safety at risk," said a senior traffic officer.

Vehicles of several prominent schools were also among those booked. The two recent fatal accidents caused by school bus drivers in north Delhi that resulted in the death of three persons, including a traffic cop, and the sudden fire in a school van in central Delhi have raised concerns about the safety of kids who are daily subjected to precarious driving.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/In-2-days-865-school-vehicles-prosecuted/articleshow/7406989.cms