Kerala govt mulls approaching Centre to amend MV Act to allow child with parents on two-wheelers

The Kerala government on Thursday said it will examine whether to request the Centre for amending the Motor Vehicles Act to a limited extent for permitting one child to travel with parents on a two-wheeler as being demanded by many in the southern state.

State Transport Minister Antony Raju said that since the launch of the Safe Kerala project and the coming into operation of 726 Artificial Intelligence (AI) cameras under it, there have been concerns over a child travelling with parents on a two-wheeler being illegal under the law.

”There have been demands that permitting such travel would be desirable in the special circumstances prevailing in the state where there are a large number of two-wheeler users,” the minister said while speaking to reporters here.

Raju said that the state government was not imposing any new laws under the new project and was only ensuring proper implementation of the existing motor vehicle laws. He said that only if the Motor Vehicle Act is suitably amended can the state government give any relaxation.

”However, in view of the demand from various quarters to permit one child to travel with parents on a two-wheeler, we will examine whether we can move the Centre for an amendment of the Motor Vehicles Act,” Raju said. He said the matter would be considered in a meeting to be held on May 10 and a decision would be taken on what needs to be done.

The minister also said that ever since the AI cameras have become operational there has been a reduction in traffic violations, which was the intention behind the project. He said that presently violators were only being warned in order to develop awareness among motorists about the various traffic rules and regulations.