56% of vehicles not insured, Supeme Court says challan them
Court Also Suggests Such Vehicles Be Denied Fuel
The Supreme Court has suggested that vehicles without insurance may soon be refused fuel at petrol pumps in an effort to tackle the issue of uninsured vehicles on Indian roads. Nearly 56% of the 30.4 crore registered vehicles are uninsured, with around 16.5 crore vehicles being two-wheelers. It is estimated that 22% of road accidents involve uninsured vehicles, and those driving such vehicles can face up to three months imprisonment or a fine of Rs 2,000 for a first offense, or up to three months imprisonment or Rs 4,000 for subsequent offenses.
The court directed that ANPR cameras deployed on highways and roads should be used to identify uninsured vehicles and send challans to owners. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority will deliberate on a pilot project to link fuel for vehicles with valid insurance status. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has no objection to this idea.
The court emphasized the need for strict law enforcement and directed that state traffic police should be given handheld devices or downloadable apps to verify insurance status on the ground.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
