Can reckless driving be curbed by increasing age limit?

Against the backdrop of the Government move to increase the minimum fine for traffic offences, the authorities have announced that they were going to increase the age limit for trishaw drivers to 25. Interestingly the initial increase in the minimum fine was made through the budget and not through a proposal by the Transport Ministry and the government was later compelled to amend the relevant budget proposal following threats by private bus owners to launch a countrywide strike.   

Meanwhile, National Council for Road Safety (NCRF) Chairman Dr. Sisira Kodagoda said that the legal age limit for trishaw drivers who provide public transport should be increased to 25 as a measure to minimize road accidents. “This proposal is to ensure the safety of passengers because many of the three-wheelers involved in fatal accidents have been driven by those below the age of 25,” he told the journalists.   
Despite the decision to increase the age limit, apparently a good measure to reduce road accidents, it does not seem to be logical when one goes into the details. But this might be seen as a wise move mainly because the three-wheelers in the country are invariably viewed as a nuisance and their drivers are considered indisciplined with scant respect for road rules. However, the trishaw drivers are not the only category of indisciplined and reckless drivers.   

According to the statistics issued by the very same NCRF, three-wheelers are not among the vehicles involved in the highest number of road accidents. Motorcyclists, have for the past several years topped the list when it comes to road accidents, many of which have brought about fatalities. They were known to have been involved in 10,147 accidents last year while the number of accidents involving three-wheelers during the same period was 6,871 with 845 fatal accidents involving motorcyclists and 274 involving trishaws showing a vast difference in the number of fatalities. The two categories of vehicles had maintained these levels for the past three years as given in a chart prepared by the NCRF.   

This position is further confirmed by the figures given in the Police Department website though they are somewhat outdated. Motorcycles had been involved in 16,240 accidents in 2010 whereas the number of accidents involving three-wheelers was 7,927 during the same year. However, it does not mean nor is it suggested that the proposed new age limit for trishaw drivers should be extended to the motorcyclists as well, but the point is that the move might aggravate the already chaotic situation on the roads.   

People use these two modes of transportation mainly because of the failure on the part of the authorities to conduct an efficient public transport service. The private bus service which dominates public road transport has become a curse for commuters while the state-owned CTB buses are almost dead if not dying. The train service, a fully state-owned venture is a nightmare, when you see that the trains are either dangerously overcrowded during peak hours or miserably failing to keep to the time-table during off-peak hours.   
In such a scenario, people would have to face further difficulties if the government’s new age limit removed a sizable number of three-wheeler drivers from the roads. Besides many three-wheeler drivers are the bread-winners of their families, irrespective of their young age.   

Needless to say that a majority of the three-wheeler drivers do not respect road rules. However, the massive fines which are to be imposed on vehicle drivers, let alone trishaw drivers may curb indiscipline, reckless or drunk driving which are a phenomenon common to most road users. Government can maintain the road discipline to a large extent if it could eradicate the unscrupulous practices adopted by some of the police personnel assigned to the policing of traffic, rather than by imposing new age limits.