A bill has been submitted to the Parliament seeking harsher punishments for reckless driving.
The government-backed bill submitted to the Parliament is sponsored by Kurendhoo MP Mohamed Shamin Habeeb.
The preliminary debate on the bill commenced on Thursday. The bill comprises of crucial provisions on land transport, including harsher punishments for reckless driving.
Under the bill, a fatality caused by reckless driving would be punishable by 20 years in prison. It also proposes 10 to 15 years’ imprisonment for causing serious injuries and five to 10 years’ imprisonment for causing other injuries by reckless driving.
Apart from this, the bill also prescribes fines between MVR 25,000 to MVR 100,000 for reckless driving, regardless of whether anyone is injured.
The bill further authorizes authorities to revoke an offender’s driver’s license and permanently bar them from reapplying. This ban can last between one to 20 years, depending on the gravity of the case.
In addition to this, the bill also includes punishments for lending a vehicle to a person without a license or a minor and giving control of the steering wheel to a passenger. The punishment will be decided based on the gravity of the case as well.
The bill comes amid concerns regarding dangerous accidents across the Maldives, especially in Male’ area. Most of these accidents are result of reckless driving and has resulted in fatalities and serious injuries.