12/30/2019 Traffic violations dip, police say fear of stiff penalties a deterrent - Times of India

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Traffic violations dip, police say fear of stiff penalties a

deterrent
Dec 30, 2019, 04.12 AM IST

Bengaluru: The steep hike in fines for traffic violations is turning out to be a win-win situation for traffic police: while the number
of cases they’re booking against offenders is reducing, the penalty amount is increasing.
Traffic police attributed the dip to vehicle users falling in line due to the fear of hefty fines. The number of violations has been
on the decline after September, when the new penalty regime kicked in. While nearly 25,000 cases of traffic violations were
booked on an average every day during the first eight months of the year, the number began to come down once the new fines
were in place — from 20,000 in September, it dropped to 16,000 in October and November.

The enhanced penalties were enforced on September 3 but were partially rolled back on September 22, in the wake of huge
public outcry. While nearly 60 lakh cases were filed till August, the number was nearly 16 lakh in the subsequent three months.
Several traffic police officers said hike in penalties is the main for the decline in cases. They added that cases pertaining to
helmetless riding, parking violations, jumping traffic signal, breaking the one-way rule and riding/driving without valid licence
have seen a noticeable dip.

While cops rarely come across helmetless riders, pillion riders are still seen without the headgear. The break-up of the cases is
still being collated. “The fine for riding without helmet is Rs 500, a five-fold increase from the previous amount of Rs 100.
Similarly, riding without licence or insurance will attract a fine of Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000, depending on the type of vehicle. The
steep fines have forced vehicle users to follow guidelines to some extent,” said joint commissioner of police, traffic, BR
Ravikanthe Gowda.

“We hope the number will drop further next year. Gradually, this will lead to smooth traffic flow,” Gowda added. However,

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12/30/2019 Traffic violations dip, police say fear of stiff penalties a deterrent - Times of India

another senior officer said cases of drunk driving, however, continue to mount. This despite the penalty going up from Rs 3,000
to Rs 10,000 and more.

Collection goes up

Thanks to the revised fines, the monthly cash collection is increasing. It hovered between Rs 5.6 crore and Rs 8.8 crore in the
first eight months this year. The number crossed Rs 10.7 crore in September and fell short of Rs 11 crore by a few thousands in
November.

Sources declined to attribute the decrease in traffic violations to policemen going slow on enforcement fearing public backlash
over the high penalties. “But yes, enforcement has been affected due to other reasons like bandobust duty after the Ayodhya
verdict,” the source said.

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