Traffic police collect Rs 3.50cr as fine in 5 mths as violations soar

Coimbatore: The city traffic police have registered 1.93 lakh cases of traffic violations in the past five months and collected Rs 3.50 crore as fine from the violators.
Data accessed from the city traffic police show that they had caught 1,09,648 motorists for not wearing helmets during the January-May period and collected from them Rs 1,12, 16,700 as fine. Meanwhile, 10,281 people were booked for not wearing seat belts and a fine of Rs 10, 36,700 was collected from them.
“We have been enforcing traffic rules strictly in the city and taking steps to implement 100% helmet system. We book motorists for red light jumping at signals, not wearing helmets and seat belts, using mobile phones while driving, drunken driving, carrying overload goods and carrying people in goods carriage,” said P Perumal, deputy commissioner of police (traffic incharge), Coimbatore city.
During the period, the traffic police had registered 1,455 drunken driving cases and collected a fine of Rs 95,21,350 from the offenders. They also booked 1,260 motorists for using mobile phones while driving and they were fined a total of Rs 2,51,400.
Pointing out that most motorists were in the habit of trying to rush past the signal when it is about to turn red, a police source said they were hence focusing mainly on red light jumping. “In the past five months, 8,460 motorists were caught for red light jumping and they were fined a total of Rs 6,77,900.”
Overall, the city traffic police registered 1,93,728 cases and collected Rs 3.50 crore as fine from the violators during the period. They also sent 10,868 licence details to the regional transport officers, who cancelled 2,271 of them temporarily.
It is to be noted that the city police had earlier installed smart cameras on five traffic signals from JM Bakery at Uppilipalayam on Avinashi road to Lakshmi Mills signals with the help of UYIR, a trust. These cameras were used to detect the traffic rule violators and generate the photo challan. So far, the city traffic police have issued 57 photo challans and collected Rs 94,000 as fine from the violators.