Fine to be carless but not careless

Insurance companies and pollution control certification centres are clearly rejoicing at the sudden upswing in compliant drivers, thanks to the increased fines under the Motor Vehicles Act 2019. Missing helmets, cracked headlights and defective licence plates are only the most obvious violations; the current serpentine lines at offices that issue necessary documents indicate a more alarming reality — that far too many Indians have been insouciantly swanning around all these years without most of their documents in order or with lapsed validity. Of course, it remains to be seen whether tipping traffic cops to turn a blind eye will once again become the preferred alternative to paying up.

The already juddering auto industry, however, has no reason to be happy about the recent rises because if the sum total of enhanced fines levied in a single instance outstrips the price of the vehicle itself — as has happened in the case of two-wheelers in particular — many owners may decide to walk the talk instead, or take public transport and app-based cabs. In sync with their conscientious international counterparts, privileged and woke Indians may no longer find cars to be aspirational due to concerns about excessive carbon footprints, but those at the other end of the economic spectrum may be equally effectively put off by excessive challans.