File photo:Nitin Gadkari

NEW DELHI: Road transport minister Nitin Gadkari’s recent announcement that he has asked authorities not to issue challans to cars travelling up to 20% above the prescribed speed limit on expressways — effectively allowing speeds of up to 140 kmph — cannot be implemented under the existing legal framework and may be detrimental to road safety, experts said.The announcement comes at a time when speeding remains the leading cause of road crashes and fatalities in India and globally. In India, more than 58% of road crash deaths (little over one lakh) in 2024 were attributed to speeding. Experts also pointed out that road infrastructure is not necessarily designed to safely accommodate cars travelling at 140 kmph.Speaking at a CII event on Tuesday, Gadkari said, “I was told that people are getting challans for speed violation on expressways for travelling little over 120 kmph. I have directed officers that no challans should be issued, if anyone is driving at speed that’s 20% more than 120 kmph. But if someone crosses that limit, issue challan.”Under the existing Motor Vehicles Rules, maximum permissible speed for cars on access-controlled expressways is 120 kmph. The limit is 100 kmph on four-lane roads and 70 kmph on other roads. The prescribed limits for other categories of vehicles are lower.The rules provide a limited relaxation for vehicles travelling up to 5% above the notified speed limit, beyond which the exemption from challans does not apply. This means the existing provision does not support a relaxation of 20% for cars on expressways.

Moreover, state govts and other local authorities are empowered to prescribe lower speed limits on roads falling under their respective jurisdictions, taking into account local conditions and safety requirements.Experts said any nationwide relaxation would therefore need to be examined in the context of these existing provisions and powers of relevant authorities.They said allowing higher speeds could increase both likelihood of crashes and severity of injuries when collisions occur. They added that any move to relax speed limits must be backed by a legal framework and scientific assessment of road safety, rather than a general exemption from enforcement.