Delhi: 978 vehicles fined in six days for violations at night

Delhi Traffic Police launched an “integrated night checking drive” at accident-prone spots across the city on July 22 to check violations

The Delhi Traffic Police issued 978 challans between July 22 and July 27, out of which 370 were issued to drivers and owners of commercial vehicles carrying high or long loads, senior traffic police officers aware of the matter said on Saturday.

TOPSHOT - A Delhi police barrier blocks a street during a Delhi state-wide weekend curfew imposed by the authorities to curb the spreading of the Covid-19 coronavirus in New Delhi on January 8, 2022. (Photo by Prakash SINGH / AFP) (AFP)

As most road accidents occur at night, according to data from previous years, the Delhi Traffic Police launched an “integrated night checking drive” at accident-prone spots across the city on July 22 to check violations.

Apart from vehicles carrying high and long loads — meaning commercial vehicles dangerously loaded beyond permissible limits — riding two-wheelers without helmets was the second most common traffic violation that the teams found during the six-day drive.

According to the data shared by the traffic police, 159 people riding two-wheelers were issued challans for not wearing helmets.

The third most common violation during the drive was driving dangerously for which 58 challans were issued, while 46 vehicles were prosecuted for carrying garbage and dust without covering them properly, the police data showed.

“The initiative is to enforce strict compliance with traffic regulations to prevent lane indiscipline, dangerous driving practices, drink driving, one-way violations, and other visible traffic offenses. To ensure effective enforcement and achieve better results, the Delhi Traffic Police is coordinating with the district police and police control room (PCR), the transport department to participate in the checking operations. The checking time for the drive is from 11pm to 5am. Special drives are being carried out in specific areas, targeting particular violations based on traffic patterns observed,” said special commissioner of police (traffic) Surender Singh Yadav.

According to the Delhi Traffic Police’s Crash Report 2021, 1,239 people were killed in 4,720 road accidents in Delhi while 4,273 were injured.

Crash classification during day and night showed that in 2021, 561 fatal crashes occurred during the day, whereas 645 occurred during the night, despite fewer vehicles at night.

“Analysis of previous crash reports has shown that most road accidents involved heavy commercial vehicles and two-wheelers. The chances of accidents increase when commercial vehicles are overloaded, as the chances of such vehicles turning turtle is always high. In many cases, long and protruding loads have also led to serious accidents and deaths of motorists in the city. Two-wheeler riders without helmets are always prone to fatal accidents,” said a senior traffic police officer.

Based on the analysis of road accidents, the traffic police identified 87 places in the city as hotspots for road accidents. The top five among them were Shastri Park/IT Park on GT Road, Bhalswa Chowk, Mukarba Chowk, Punjabi Bagh Chowk, and Zakhira Flyover.

Senior traffic police officers said that in response to the increasing number of road accidents during night hours, the Delhi Traffic Police initiated a comprehensive action plan to enhance road safety and minimise accidents. Specific teams under the direct supervision of traffic inspectors (TIs) were deployed at six to eight accident-prone spots every night to prosecute violators.

According to the police data, 44 people were penalised for driving without wearing seat belts while 38 were issued tickets for driving without a valid driver’s licence. A total of 41 vehicles were prosecuted for permit violation while 40 challans were issued to drivers using high beam light while driving. There were 27 challans for triple riding while 21 people were prosecuted for driving vehicles that did not have pollution certificates. The police data showed that five people were booked for wrong-side driving while six were caught for drink driving.