Kerala MVD somehow manages to stay in the news for one reason or another. This time, the department has released a new circular in which the RTOs are asked to take action against riders and pillion passengers who speak to each other while riding two-wheelers. However, there is a twist. At the moment, the department has not found a way to prevent people from talking while riding two-wheelers.
According to a newspaper report that surfaced online recently, two-wheeler riders get distracted when the pillion passenger engages them in conversation during the ride. This is quite dangerous and might also lead to accidents. In order to stop people from doing this, the Motor Vehicles Department has issued this new notification.
The department said if the pillion passenger is seen distracting the rider, they would take action against them and issue a fine. Although this circular has been issued to all enforcement officers, there is no clarity on how they are going to fine them. Both the pillion passenger and rider on a two-wheeler have to wear a helmet while riding.
Even if they speak to each other during the ride, the cops cannot prove it. Also, there is no clarity on under which section the rider or the pillion passenger would be fined. If the rider who gets stopped for this can also claim that he did not speak to the pillion passenger.
Talking to your pillion passenger while riding a motorcycle can be dangerous only if you take your eyes off the road. There are several other factors on the road that can distract the rider. We often find billboards and large advertisements. While we understand that the authorities are implementing these new ideas to make roads safer, they should also come up with logical ways to implement them.
Lately, many shops have also started using digital displays outside their shops, and even at traffic signals, we find such displays in many parts of the country. All these are distractions to the rider, and the authorities should find more ways to remove these distractions from the road. At this point, it almost looks like Kerala MVD is coming up with new ways to extort money from the general public’s pocket.
Kerala Motor Vehicles Department is one of the strictest in the country. They have been known to take action against social media influencers and even prominent personalities who broke traffic laws. They often conduct drives to inspect vehicles and check for modifications.
While Kerala has a great car culture, the law doesn’t allow people to modify cars. However, people still do it and often find themselves in trouble for it. Kerala MVD has canceled the registrations of several cars for this reason. Recently, we also came across a report where Kerala MVD took action against a YouTuber who created a swimming pool inside the backseat of his Tata Safari and drove it on a public road.
After the video went viral, vlogger Sanju Techy’s driving license was canceled for a lifetime and the registration of his vehicle was also suspended. Similarly, they have asked several modified car owners to restore their cars to factory condition to ensure that the registration doesn’t get canceled.