HYDERABAD, India -- Mohammed Usman used to cram as many people as possible into his motorized rickshaw -- up to eight adults, twice the legal limit.

But not anymore. "If I put more than one extra person, I know I'll get a ticket," he says. "The risk is too high."

Tiny, tinny three-wheel taxis, known as autorickshaws, are ubiquitous in South Asia. They are nimble, cheap and popular: A ride costs just pennies.

But they are also dangerous, and as Indian roads get increasingly crowded, passengers are paying with their lives. Here in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, autorickshaws are involved in one-third of all accidents, even though they account for only one out of every 20 vehicles on the road.

So the cops are cracking down. Police are enforcing long-ignored laws against overcrowding, and officials are rounding up drivers for training sessions. Drivers must sit through an educational video and view gory photos -- autorickshaws crushed between buses, and mangled on roadsides -- to qualify for a free lunch.