RTA frowns over use of LED ad boards on autorickshaws

Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada Regional Transport Authority has taken severe umbrage at a move by few autorickshaws displaying LED advertisement boards on the rear side of the vehicle. G S Hegde, in-charge deputy transport commissioner and senior RTO stated that use of such LED advertisement board is illegal and should be removed forthwith.
Such LED boards are a danger to road safety and a distraction to other vehicle users, he noted.The motor vehicle inspectors will undertake extensive inspections of autorickshaws with such LED boards and strict action will be taken against them. Hegde told STOI that it has come to his notice that there are around 50 such vehicles are operating in the city, sporting LED advertisement boards where the vehicles are supposed to have transparent windows that offer transparency and safety of the passengers.
"From the information we have gathered, an agency that has taken the contract to fix these LED boards on autorickshaws have fitted them with GPS as well. This helps the agency track the distance covered by the vehicles and the routes taken by them. The autorickshaw drivers are given a certain bonus on the distance traversed," he said. Since these advertisement boards are illegal, we have no other option but to crack down on errant vehicles, he noted.
The Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1999 and Karnataka Motor Vehicles Rules do not permit autorickshaws to sport such LED advertisement boards.
The RTA in an earlier instance had denied permission to autorickshaws owners who had approached the authority to sport such boards sponsored by the bank that gave them vehicle purchase loans, he noted. Such boards will certainly distract other road users and lead to more accidents, the official added.