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| Don't smoke and drive, New Delhi's top court tells drivers | | |
NEW DELHI MAR 28
Smoking poses serious health risks. So does driving in New Delhi.
And combining the two is deadly, according to two New Delhi judges who have barred smoking at the wheel, officials said Tuesday, apparently the first such ban in the world.
Declaring "New Delhi roads dangerous to human life," the city's High Court on Monday imposed a slew of new measures aimed at deterring habitually bad drivers, including the smoking ban and a prohibition on using a mobile phone while at the wheel.
"Anything that distracts the attention of driver is dangerous. The human mind cannot do two things simultaneously," said New Delhi's traffic commissioner Qamar Ahmed, welcoming the ruling, which goes into effect April 9 and only covers New Delhi, a city of 14 million people.
Those caught smoking at the wheel would pay 1,500 rupees (US$32; €25), a hefty fine by local standards. Offenders caught more than five times would have their license revoked, the court said. The same fines apply to using a mobile phone and the less well-defined offense of "dangerous driving."
Many drivers in New Delhi welcomed the court ruling, saying that anything that would control the chaos on the city's roads — where many drivers regard red lights as suggestions and right of way is often determined by vehicle size — was a positive step.
The new codes are "a very good idea. Traffic is very difficult here, it's frightening," said 18-year-old student driver Ankita Maniktala.
"Sometimes I don't know which way the cars are going to be going," she said, referring to the accepted habit of driving the wrong way down streets to create short cuts.
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