Transport Department to use speed guns to check mishaps on highways

Guntur: For the first time in the state, the Transport Department is all set to use speed guns to check speed of vehicles passing on the highways in the state. The speed guns will assess the speed of vehicles on the highways and take photographs of number plates of vehicles going on high speed.

According to reports, the speed guns will show permitted speed, actual vehicle speed at the time of taking photograph on the highway. Based on that, the Transport Department will impose penalty on vehicle owner and forward the same to his address.

Currently, only the Police department is using the speed guns in some districts. Based on the recommendations of higher officials of transport department, Transport Commissioner N Balasubramaniam took the decision to introduce speed guns.

According to Balasubramaniam, the department will give two speed guns to every district soon as accident deaths on the highways in the state are on rise due to rash driving of vehicle drivers and drunken driving.

Stating that the Police and Transport departments are jointly conducting vehicle checking on highways, he said if the driver was driving without valid driving licence, they will book the cases and impose penalty and added the police department was conducting drunken driving tests on highways to curb accidents.

Guntur district rural police are giving water to refresh the drivers on the highways during night time to reduce road accidents and deaths. Despite these measures, the accident deaths are increasing and the Transport department officials have power to suspend driving licence of vehicle drivers if the cases are booked three times against driver. Sources in the Transport department informed The Hans India that the government has agreed to give two speed guns to every district soon. 

“We will use two speed guns in the district. While one speed gun is used in Palnadu, another speed gun is used at ANU or Chilakaluripet or near accident-prone areas. Every day we will change place to use speed guns and impose penalty on those who violate traffic rules on highways. If needed, we will ask police on patrolling duty on highways to stop the vehicle and check it.

The police department has identified accident-prone areas on the highways and even putting danger signs to reduce the accidental deaths,” the source said. Deputy Transport Commissioner of Guntur, G C Raja Ratnam said, “The government has agreed to give two speed guns for Guntur district soon.”