Cops give young traffic offenders a new way out

AHMEDABAD: Don’t want to get an FIR registered against you or go through legal procedure for violating traffic rules? Then be prepared to take traffic lessons from the cops for three days at the B Division Traffic police station located in Navrangpura. After the lessons you will have to serve with the traffic cops for an hour at one of the city junctions to regulate traffic flow.

Traffic police began offering the innovative punishment to traffic rule violators caught on Friday at Mithakhali Six Roads. In all, 17 traffic rule violators agreed to take lessons for an hour for three days and serve with traffic police at one of the junctions. Their names will be put on the traffic police portal.

This is the latest innovative idea floated by the traffic cops as they don’t want youngsters zooming through city streets on their bikes to fall in to legal trouble.

“The FIRs registered against them could prove a hindrance for them in obtaining a lot of identity documents including passports. We don’t want that to happen and hence we will be giving them a choice — either face an FIR or take lessons and manage traffic for one day,” said inspector K D Nakum of traffic department.

While traffic norm enforcement is getting stringent with every passing day and a lot of commuters, especially those used to driving without helmets are being fined the new innovation by the traffic department, gives a positive chance to start following traffic norms said Rahul Naik, one of the youngsters stopped by cops for driving a two-wheeler without a helmet.

“On the first day of the drive 17 youths agreed to our proposal of sparing three days to learn traffic rules and regulations, one hour per day and to serve one day with the traffic police at one of the traffic junctions to manage traffic for the fourth day of their choice” said Nakum.

A traffic official said on the choice of taking lessons, “If the offender agrees to go through the learning process we take a written undertaking and consent from him. We then call him to B Division traffic police station to coach him in traffic norms and regulations.”

In another, new initiative the traffic police is thinking of writing to principals of schools of colleges whose student is found violating traffic rules. “This will encourage traffic norm education in school and colleges,” said a senior traffic department official.