Hyderabad: Is giving a lift to an unknown person in a personal vehile an offence? The Mumbai traffic police has issued a challan to one Nithin Nair for giving a lift to some persons when it was raining. He was booked under Sections 66 & 192 of the Motor Vehicles Act. Inquiries revealed that no such cases have been booked in Hyderabad so far. =Section 66 deals with the control of transport vehicles and says vehicles that are intended for commercial purposes (to transport paying passengers) have to get a permit from the Regional Transport Authority (RTA). These are popularly known as the ‘Yellow Plate’ vehicles.
Using a vehicle to transport passengers without a valid permit constitutes a violation of the MV Act. Section 66 also lays down certain exemptions to be allowed during emergencies. Section 192 of the MV act prescribes penalties for violations committed under Section 66. Asked about the Mumbai case, Mr Anil Kumar, additional commissioner, Hyderabad traffic police, said Mr Nair of Mumbai may have been mistaken for taking passengers for money. He said that giving a lift is not an offence and Section 66 only says private vehicles cannot be used as taxis.
Mr Imran Jeddy, a city resident who tells his friends to not to give lift to unknown persons, said, “This is a very interesting case as it appears to put the law against basic human decency. This is not about courtesy, but about liability,” Mr Jeddy said. “In the event of an accident, the insurance company will not cover damages to the passengers and the vehicle. The other purpose of the law is to prevent unauthorised private cars being used as a taxi,” he explained.
Mr Jeddy said that most people don’t understand this. On the ORR, many drivers pick up passengers without the knowledge of the car owner. If there is an accident, the the liability is on the owner of the car and not the driver.” On the Mumbai case, Mr Jeddy said, “I strongly feel that if Mr Nair had hired a good lawyer instead of pleading guilty the outcome would have been different. Such situations usually happen on the highways, Mr K. Vinod Kumar Kanumala, founder, Indian Federation of Road Safety (IFROS) said, “Many people usually give lifts to other passengers including private vehicles on the highways. If the cop stops a private vehicle and the passengers say they are paying to travel, a case can be booked against the owner of the vehicle or the driver.” He said a lift given for free in is fine but if the passengers are charged money then the case will be strong. Mr Kanumala cautioned that in the event of any accident, insurance cannot be claimed on the vehicle as the insurer strictly goes by the norms.
