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This prompted the strict action of suspending licences rather than fining the drivers, Patil said. “Accidents have increased on single-lane roads and places where street lights are absent in the rural parts of the state,” he said. The Sc-appointed committee questioned the traffic police about measures that they had taken to improve the situation, Patil added.

“We told the committee we had been penalising drivers, but that was not serving as a deterrent,” said Patil, adding that the law was already in place but was not getting implemented.

Currently, the traffic police give violators e-challans under the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act. However, from Monday, they will confiscate licences, and inform the Regional Transport Office (RTO), which will suspend the licence for three months.

A special panel was set up in 2014 by the Supreme Court to monitor and measure the implementation of road safety laws in the country.

It had said drivers guilty of everyday offences like jumping signals, talking on mobile phones, and violating the helmet and seatbelt laws, should have their licences suspended.

The rule has already been implemented in states such as Delhi and Goa.

Patil said that licenses would be confiscated under Section 19 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 read with Rule 21 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, disqualifying the offender from holding a driving license for a specified period.