Hyderabad ignores traffic rules, 28 lakh fined

Hyderabad: The latest data with the Hyderabad police reveals that there were 28 lakh traffic violations till November this year. Signal jumping, speeding, wrong side driving, illegal parking, drunk driving, triple driving and driving without helmets and seat belts are the major violations.

Though officials claim that that the higher number of cases points to successful enforcement, it has not proved effective as a large number of motorists are still reluctant to obey laws. Around 40 lakh traffic fine challans are pending since the last five years.

The city traffic police says the most common violations in the city are signal jumping and wrong parking.

Many motorists simply ignore traffic laws at junctions. This leads to tragic mishaps and deaths. “Signal jumping is still a major problem.

We have cameras and men at many major junctions. Several drivers were booked for this. But it still takes place,” said Hyderabad traffic police DCP-11 A.V. Raghunath.

Among the 28 lakh cases reported, 13.9 lakh were registered with the help of cameras while 14.1 lakh cases were registered directly by the cops.

Though speeding in the twin cities is not as serious as on the outskirts, teenaged bikers and motorists speed at night.

“In many fatal accidents speeding was the main culprit. During the day, cops stand with speed guns to catch violators. But most violations happen at night,” said a senior cop.

Wrong side driving and illegal parking are other major violations. Lack of sufficient parking space force motorists to keep the vehicle on the road, despite knowing that towing machines will come for their vehicle.

“I can list out around 50 busy areas where there is no place to park,” said N. Kranthi Kumar, a car owner and a data analyst at an MNC.

“If the authorities want to solve this issue, let them build provide parking lots,” he added.