In an attempt to increase the average highway speed in India, the MoRTH is planning to increase the speed limit. Nitin Gadkari has hinted about a bill that will increase the speed limit of the expressways to 140 kmph. Currently, the speed limit is set at 120 kmph for the expressways. Meanwhile, the highways under the MoRTH now have a speed limit of 100 kmph. The expressways in our country are entirely fenced from both sides, which keep the animals and trespassers out. Furthermore, the recently made expressways have a host of safety features that add to the drivers’ confidence. The increase in speed limit will help in boosting the transport system and enable high-speed connectivity.
The most evident introduction of the recent time is the use of FASTag for toll collection. One of the significant advantages of this implementation is that it has streamlined the flow of traffic at the toll booths. Moreover, this adds to reducing the pollution at a large scale and also helps in increasing the average speed of the highways. In addition to this, MoRTH now allows drivers to carry their vehicles in electronic form. This provides a great deal of convenience as carrying physical hard copies of the document can get cumbersome. The documents include the driving licence, registration certificate, insurance, Pollution Under Check (PUC) certificates, fitness and permits.
Recently, rumours suggested that MoRTH plans to make 6-airbags as a mandatory safety kit for passenger vehicles. Given the conditions of Indian roads and the number of accidents in the country, we do support this idea. Moreover, the number of deaths due to road accidents in India is already relatively high. The high-end luxury cars come up with more than six airbags. And hence, entry-level vehicles will benefit the most from this mandate. If this goes through, we can expect the prices of the vehicle to go up. But, safety is of paramount importance, and no price tag can justify it.
Also Read: India’s transport minister demands 6-airbags in cars.