Carefull speeding hyderabadis, Speed radar guns are in town

With the transport and traffic departments acquiring 38 german made speed radar guns on Thursday, two wheelers speeding beyond 50 kmph and commercial transport vehicles at more than 65 kmph would be penalised.

Commercial transport vehicles comprise those with yellow boards including cars, trucks and buses. High speed Volvo buses also fall under this category. The Central Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 prescribes speed limits for various categories of vehicles applicable across all the states in the country. The Act restricts the speed limit of fire tenders at 55 kmph.

The guns measure the speed using laser technology within flash of a second and even capture images of the vehicle the with date and time. The photographic evidence would be used for prosecution in courts in case motorists do not pay up.

The transport department would issue a notification within a week for personal cars as it was not included in the Act. According to this notification, the speed limit for personal cars on national highways in the State would be 80 kmph, on State highways it would be 50 kmph and 30 kmph on district and rural roads. Officially handing over the speed guns to the police at a function on Thursday, transport minister Kanna Lakshminarayana told the gathering that if needed, more guns would be acquired in future.

The speed guns that the State has imported have cameras unlike the ones used in Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Delhi.

The speed radar guns cost Rs 7 lakhs each. Of the 38, 23 guns would be given to each district of the State. The 15 have been given to the office of director general of police of Hyderabad, which would distribute it to the traffic police in two days.

According to the Act, over speeding can cost the drivers Rs 1,000 in fine with or without a prison term of six months. Enthusiastic officials said that the guns would be put to use in three days time.