more-in About 50 drivers and owners of commercial and tourist vehicles gathered at the Collectorate here on Wednesday to submit a petition against compulsory use of speed governors in vehicles. Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, earlier this year, made it mandatory for transport vehicles to fix speed limiting devices (SLDs). The Supreme Court ordered that as per amendments to Rule 118 of the Central Motor Vehicles Act, 1989, speed governors should be fitted in transport vehicles with a maximum speed limit of 80 k.m. an hour, particularly on national highways. The petitioners deplored that they did not receive fitness certificates from their respective Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) despite installing SLDs. “First, we installed one bought for ?2,500. Some RTOs accepted it, others did not. We switched over to ?9,000 speed governors. They were registered,” said R. Arumugam. He asserted that a large number of accidents happened because of private vehicles driving at a speed of 140 km an hour without following safety measures. “Either, they should have speed governors installed or this rule should not be implemented,” he said. An RTO official from Madurai (Central) said that SLDs were approved by Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI). “The cost of speed governor does not matter. There are appropriate speed governors for different vehicles. The government order has stated it clearly. Drivers must fit the one that is applicable to their vehicles,” he said. He added that most of the commercial vehicles did not possess basic safety measures like anti-lock braking system and air bag. Most drivers did not wear seat belts. He added that all vehicles ought to possess speed governors in order to prevent fatalities.

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