Police booked 71.7 lakh traffic violations till Oct

Frequent road rage incidents and violations result in traffic jams, as motorists are often desperate to reach their workplace, data with the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) has shown.

The data with DH reveals that the BTP booked 71.7 lakh cases for various violations till October. In 2017, the police had booked around 99.2 lakh cases and in 2016 they had booked 91 lakh cases.

Helmetless cases top the list of violations, with 14.3 lakh riders and 11.6 lakh on the pillion booked for the offence.

Wrong parking cases accounted for 10.1 lakh, while lane discipline violations totalled 3.4 lakh.

Most cases are now booked with the help of cameras. “The reason behind the rising traffic violations is the ubiquitous camera. These cameras catch the violator’s details in the traffic management centre,” said a senior traffic police official.

Experts want authorities to increase the fine for road offences and curb the number of new vehicle registrations. “There are around 79 lakh vehicles in the city, which is more than what the roads can take. This is the main reason for the congestion,” said M N Srihari, traffic expert and former advisor to the state government on matters of traffic and infrastructure.

He also says riders lack self-discipline, which often results in traffic snarls. “There are 48,000 junctions in the city where riders are too impatient to follow the rules,” he added.

“Despite special drives and awareness campaigns, motorists are not bothered about traffic rules. So, we are holding special drives against those violating the law,” said another traffic police official.