Half Of India's Drivers Are Unlicensed: A Crisis On Wheels

2 min read

Agra, July 15 (TNA) Recent hit-and-run accidents across the country have spotlighted the lax enforcement of the Motor Vehicles Act, which penalises those driving without a license with fines and jail time. Would you believe that nearly half of the vehicles on our roads are driven by unlicensed drivers?

An RTI filed by senior Supreme Court advocate Kishan Chand Jain revealed that, as of June 21, 2024, there were 26,704,779 expired driving licenses. The Union Ministry of Transport and Highways reported 373,424,626 registered vehicles, while the Sarthi portal lists 205,383,199 license holders, including those with expired licenses. In reality, only 178,678,420 licenses are currently valid. This means that unlicensed drivers operate 47.84% of vehicles.

In 2020 there were 326, 299, 000 registered vehicles. This figure increased from 295, 772,000 in 2019 and 218,288,000 vehicles reported in 2016. In 1951 the number was 306,000 only. The overall cumulative valid driver licences in 2020 were over 236 million, of which 6.8 per cent were female drivers. Driving licences in India are administered by the regional transport authorities and a driving licence is required by law for any person driving a motor vehicle on public roads.

It's possible that many people could be owning more than one motor vehicle. A significantly large number of vehicles are parked in police stations across India and many vehicles are stolen and dismantled for sale.

Dr Sanjay Chaturvedi, Road Safety expert

Government agencies have failed to curb unlicensed driving, including minors under 18. Section 181 of the Motor Vehicles Act prescribes a fine of Rs 5,000 or imprisonment for three months, or both. This negligence leads to significant difficulties for road accident victims seeking claims.

Fortunately, the UP police have developed a scheme to check driving by students/minors. The parents or guardians would now be booked under section 125 of Bhartiya Nyaya Samhita and fined Rs 25,000. The vehicle would also be seized for 12 months. The culprit may have to wait till he is 25 years of age for a driving licence.

That could be the reason for the mismatch between numbers. Jain plans to present these alarming statistics when the writ on Road Safety is heard on July 11.

Driving

Hit and Run Cases