Hyderabad: Spike in helmet rule violation

Hyderabad: Even after multiple counselling sessions and issue of challans for driving without helmet in the city, Hyderabad remains as the most favourite city for rule violations this year.

As many as 2,68,995 violators were booked this year until April for their failure to use helmet. It meant that around 2,000-2,500 Hyderabadis are getting booked everyday for driving without helmet in the city limits.

Hyderabad has around Rs 8.85 lakh two-wheelers. According to police records, around 2,000 vehicles are getting challaned everyday.

This forms around one to two per cent of the total two-wheelers in the city. What about the rest of the 98 per cent two-wheelers that are not getting challans for helmet rule violations? Have they started wearing helmets or have they started escaping the special drives conducted by traffic police?

Up until April 2017, as many as 2,68,995 two-wheeler riders were booked by the Hyderabad traffic cell for not wearing the safety head gear. This shows a rise as compared to 2016. The traffic cell of the Hyderabad police had booked 17, 93,271 riders for similar offences the previous year. The steep rise in the number of cases booked is attributed to the increase in frequency of the special drives conducted by the Hyderabad traffic police over the last year. A total of

'2, 69, 09,500 was collected upto April 2017 from offenders towards fees for compounding the offences, records reveal.

As per the amendments made to the motor vehicles act, which was passed in April 2017 by a cabinet act, riding without a helmet can be a costly affair. It will attract a fine of  Rs 1,000 with a cancellation of licence for three months.