Mumbai has done what Calcutta must do, if killer wheels are to be curbed.

Sales executive S. Damodaran, 27, student Braynton Rodrigues, 21, and taxi driver Mohammad Janveel, 20 — all from Bandra — earned the dubious distinction on Wednesday of being the first Mumbai residents to be jailed for rash and negligent driving.

A few months ago, they would have paid a fine of Rs 950 (Rs 600 to Rs 1,000 in Calcutta) and walked free. Not any more.

A special metropolitan magistrate’s court sentenced the three to a day’s simple imprisonment and fined them Rs 3,000 each. Their driving licences were suspended for two months.

Taxi driver Janveel was sentenced for carrying a metal rod that jutted dangerously out of his vehicle. The other two — one on a car, the other on a motorcycle — were punished for changing lanes without using indicators.

The sentences follow a crackdown on drunken driving — 825 Mumbai residents have spent time in jail this year (till September 15) for driving after consuming alcohol over the permissible limit.

Between June 20 and September 15, the police took action against 857 motorists for speeding and dangerous driving. The deputy commissioner (traffic) of Mumbai police, Harish Baijal, said: “Speeding and entering no-entry zones used to be considered ‘soft’ offences. The police would not press for strict punishment and courts would let off offenders with fines. The thought of spending a day in jail will be a major deterrent.”

Lawyer Majeed Memon, who has been advocating stern sentences for rash and negligent drivers, feels that the drive is a step towards safer Mumbai streets. “Raising the fine and handing out jail terms are useful in curbing traffic offences. Seizing licences and making the drivers apply for fresh ones would be more effective in reining in rogues,” he said.