Patna,In a significant escalation of road-safety enforcement, Bihar’s Transport Department has issued directives authorising heavy fines, vehicle impoundment, and potential suspension of driving licences for any four-wheeler or heavy vehicle found parked on the roadside for more than 48 hours.
The order, issued under the direction of Transport Minister Shravan Kumar, targets what authorities describe as a persistent hazard on national and state highways, particularly during the winter fog season when visibility is severely reduced.
“Vehicles abandoned or parked for prolonged periods along highways act as silent killers,” a senior department official told. “In low-visibility conditions, they become virtually undetectable to oncoming traffic, triggering chain-reaction collisions that claim dozens of lives every year.”
Official data from the Bihar State Road Safety Authority indicate that fog-related accidents involving stationary vehicles accounted for over 18 per cent of highway fatalities in the state during the 2024–25 winter quarter. The new crackdown is intended to eliminate such risks by ensuring highways remain obstruction-free.
Enforcement teams have been instructed to identify and act immediately against suspect or long-stationary vehicles on major routes. Penalties will be graduated: an initial heavy fine, followed by towing and impoundment, and, in repeated or egregious cases, suspension of the owner’s driving licence.
While the measures have been welcomed by road-safety advocates, some transport operators have expressed concern over the short 48-hour threshold, arguing that breakdowns, loading delays, or lack of designated parking zones on long stretches of highway leave drivers with few alternatives.
The department, however, insists the rule is non-negotiable. “A stationary vehicle on the carriageway is as dangerous as one travelling at excessive speed,” a spokesperson said. “Clear roads are non-negotiable if we are to bring down Bihar’s road-fatality rate.”
The initiative forms part of a broader winter road-safety campaign launched ahead of the peak fog season, which typically runs from mid-December to February. Authorities have urged vehicle owners to use authorised rest areas, truck lay-bys, and private parking facilities, emphasising that compliance should stem from awareness rather than fear of penalties alone.
If strictly implemented, analysts believe the policy could markedly reduce the incidence of multi-vehicle pile-ups that have plagued Bihar’s highways in previous winters, potentially serving as a model for other fog-prone states in northern India.
