Love standing out of car sunroof? Gets ready to be fined by cops now

While having a sunroof in your car was considered a thing of opulence a few years ago with the feature mostly being restricted to higher-end and luxury cars, it is now being offered with every other mass-market car in India, starting from as low as Rs 8 lakh (ex-showroom)! A sunroof can be useful to let sunlight enter the cabin, or help bring fresh air in when you don’t want to roll down the windows.
However, the feature is misused more often than not by people popping their heads out while the car is moving, and even kids standing out of it. Karnataka Police has said that such practice could attract a fine ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 300. Alok Kumar, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Traffic and Road Safety, said looking out of sunroof of a moving vehicle is against the law, and is also dangerous.

“Though there is no specific rule prohibiting individuals from standing inside their car and looking out of the sunroof, Section 177 in Motor Vehicles Act enables us to fine such offenders. It is a dangerous stunt to be performed. Youth and kids are often seen doing this; they could harm themselves as well as other road users”. According to ADGP Alok Kumar, Section 177 of the MVA empowers police to book cases for offences which are not particularly defined or described.
Popping your head out of the sunroof is dangerous as a flying object could hit you directly on your face, while emergency braking by the driver could also injure you upon your body hitting the edge of the sunroof. Moreover, the sunroof should also not be opened when the vehicle is doing higher speeds since it messes with the aerodynamics of the vehicle.