Forty-eight hours after software engineer Debjani Sinha was knocked down by a private bus, dragged 30 metres and left to die near Salt Lake’s Karunamoyee, police are yet to arrest the driver.

The bus drivers who engaged in a fatal race that ended in Uma Maity’s arm being ripped off from the elbow near Baduria on Sunday are also absconding.

Even if they are caught, chances are that they will get off lightly. For the law, as senior traffic policemen readily admit, lacks teeth.

Figures bear out the road mishap reality. The licences of only 17 drivers involved in the 438 fatal mishaps across the city last year were revoked or cancelled. The licences of 182 drivers were suspended. Two were let off with a warning.

This year, there have been 98 fatal accidents. The police have revoked the licences of nine drivers and suspended those of 28.

“You can’t just point a finger at us,” said a senior traffic officer, before adding that the department had recently started dealing with not only fatal cases but also other dangerous accidents. “We try our best to book the drivers and take them to court. But the law may not be a real deterrent.”

A driver speeding dangerously is usually booked under Section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act. The penalty is often borne by the owner of the vehicle instead of the driver.

To stop this, the police have decided to book drivers under Section 279 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The driver, however, can easily get bail.

“In case of a fatal accident, the maximum a traffic officer can do is book the driver under Section 304A of the IPC (death due to negligence). Even then, the driver can get out on bail. The only way out is to increase the monetary penalty. We have appealed for a hike in the penalty,” said a senior officer.