Cops intercepting two-wheelers on Bengaluru roads can be a risky affair

BENGALURU:  Stricter enforcement of traffic rules is one of the factors leading to decline in fatalities among two-wheeler riders on the city roads. But in certain cases traffic cops flag down or forcibly stop two-wheelers, which in itself can cause accidents as many riders try to avoid the cops to escape being penalised. This dangerous practice of flagging down/forcibly stopping two-wheelers to penalise them is scary not just for two-wheeler riders, but also for the cops indulging in this.

Two-wheeler riders say cops jumping into the middle of the road to stop them leads to sudden anxiety among the riders. This might lead to road accidents wherein either the rider or the traffic cop himself might sustain grievous injuries or even result in death of either or both.A traffic policeman on the field said that at times it is risky for them too when they try to forcibly stop two-wheelers found violating traffic rules. When contacted, additional commissioner of police (traffic) R Hithendra said: “We do not have any problem withdrawing the police from flagging down vehicles if they (the motorists) follow traffic rules.

Among the violations generated by the automation centre, only 7-8 percent of the traffic violators pay fine voluntarily. It is not viable to go and collect fines from their houses or offices. Also, enforcement is one of the factors which has reduced two-wheeler accidents.”Traffic expert MN Sreehari said that it is wrong for traffic police to forcibly stop riders in the middle of the road. But, he added: “When the amended Motor Vehicles Act is in force with more stringent penalties, the motorists would be more disciplined fearing the more hefty fines levied then.”

It is a common sight in Bengaluru — even when the traffic cops are not forcibly stopping vehicles — to see two-wheeler riders taking a sudden U-turn on spotting traffic policemen conducting checks. This happens on one-ways too. The easiest thing to do to prevent such accident-causing behaviour is to simply follow the rules. It doesn’t take much to do that !