HYDERABAD: For the first time in the country, motorists in the city will be docked penalty points from Tuesday if they violate traffic rules. They could lose their licence if they continue to violate rules and may even be sent to prison. Different values have been given to traffic violations. A motorist who gets 12 points in two years would face a one-year suspension of the driving licence. If the motorist clocks 12 points a second time, the licence would be suspended for two years. For the third offence, the licence would be suspended for three years.

Those holding learner’s licence will face cancellation. Joint commissioner of Hyderabad traffic police Dr V. Ravinder, “Once their driving licence is cancelled they are likely to be chargesheeted and can be sent to prison for up to three months’’. “We request motorists to follow the traffic rules instead of clocking penalty points and face cancellation of licence,” he said. There are two methods of imposing fines. Under spot challaning, tickets will be issued to motorists who have been physically caught violating rules.

From now on, the driver will be identified , the penalty points mentioned on his driving licence number. In the e-challan system, the pictures show the vehicles violating traffic rules but it is difficult to identify the driver. Therefore, the penalty points cannot be applied to e-challans at present. Hyderabad traffic police DCP A.V. Ranganath said, “We will use some software applications to identify drivers even in e-challans. We will intensify special drives to book spot challans’’.

Roads dangerous from 7 to 9 pm:

The maximum number of accidents take place between 7 pm and 9 pm, when the traffic is heavy and people are rushing home after the day's work, Hyderabad traffic DCP A.V. Ranganath said, "As a safety measure, we have started conducting impromptu drunk driving tests at specific areas right from 7 pm”, Mr Ranganath said.

According to a doctor, drivers who get to sleep for only five hours a day are 15 times more likely to cause road accidents than those with a healthy sleep pattern. The accident risk is two to six times higher for those suffering from sleep apnea than it is for regular drivers.