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Traffic month: Head safety takes a hit Lucknow
Lucknow traffic police issued 11,573 challans in five days, with 5,296 for helmet violations, highlighting ongoing road safety neglect despite awareness efforts.
Out of 11,573 challans that the Lucknow traffic police have issued in just five days between November 5 and 9 during the ongoing traffic month, a whopping 5,296 were for riding two-wheelers without helmets. Despite repeated awareness drives, violations like riding without helmets, triple riding, and wrong-side driving continue to dominate the charts underscoring a widespread neglect of road safety rules.
According to official data, the drive, which aims to promote safe driving behaviour, has seen a steady fluctuation in enforcement figures yet the nature of violations remains largely unchanged. Riding without helmets continues to be the biggest concern for police. According to Lucknow traffic police data, on November 5, 815 such challans were issued, which rose to 1,115 on November 6, and 1,275 by November 9.
The consistent rise in helmet-less driving, officials said, indicates that awareness alone has not translated into behavioural change on the road. Traffic officials said that apart from commuters, even short-distance riders and college-goers are frequently found violating helmet norms.
The data also show that triple riding and defective number plates remain frequent offences. Over 870 people were penalised in five days for carrying more than two riders on a two-wheeler, while around 400 challans were issued for faulty or tampered number plates, a violation often linked to attempts to avoid e-challan detection.
Meanwhile, no-parking violations accounted for another 1,000 challans and wrong-side driving, a growing menace on busy corridors like Alambagh, Aishbagh and Faizabad Road, led to more than 240 challans.
The total number of challans rose from 1,675 on November 5 to 2,487 on November 9, showing nearly a 50% increase over five days. The number of vehicle seizures also doubled, from 38 to 50, reflecting the intensified field checks.
Despite the enforcement push, officials admit that old habits die hard. “Public awareness is one thing, but compliance requires consistent enforcement and civic discipline,” said DCP (traffic) Kamlesh Dixit.
