Kerala Police to prosecute drivers using Bluetooth/Hands-free devices to talk

Kerala Police to prosecute drivers using Bluetooth/Hands-free devices to talk

With the lifting of lockdown, road accidents are witnessing a sharp rise again

Police in the coastal state of Kerala have decided to crack down on those using any form of Hands-free device, including Bluetooth, to talk while driving.

Police have said that such an act is illegal in India for many years and there are provisions to punish the offenders. Until now, mostly only those drivers were punished who used handheld devices. However, with the lifting of the lockdown in the southern state, the number of road accidents are increasing. Police say using Hands-free devices to talk while driving is one of the reasons for the increasing road accidents.

There is some confusion over the legal status of the issue. The Kerala High Court had in 2019 ruled that the police cannot register a case against a person for driving while talking on the phone since there is no provision in the existing law that bans the use of mobile phones while driving.

To circumvent the Court order, the Kerala Police have now decided to use provisions under the Kerala Police Act. They use Section 118(e) of the Kerala Police Act to book a person for the offence.

Section 118(e) deals with any activity that causes danger to the public or failure in public safety.

Police insist that even using Hands-free devices to talk while driving is fraught with danger since it distracts a driver and slows down his reaction time, leading to road accidents.

Bluetooth infotainment systems come now as a standard feature in the modern vehicles sold in India. Motorists normally use them to receive and making calls while driving, although it is not easy to catch the offenders for a policeman.

Kerala Police have now decided to curb the growing menace on the road and have warned the erring drivers to desist from talking on the phone while driving with the threat that once caught, they will be liable to be booked for a violation that can make their wallets lighter or even suspension of their driving licenses.