Road safety over Reels: Traffic police crack down on drivers turning their cameras on

With the fad of making short stunt videos for social media platforms catching on among youngsters, the activity is turning out to be a menace to road safety, Gautam Budh Nagar police said, adding that they will start cracking down on those indulging in such violations on the road

With the fad of making short stunt videos for social media platforms catching on among youngsters, the activity is turning out to be a menace to road safety, Gautam Budh Nagar police said, adding that they will start cracking down on those indulging in such violations on the road.

Noida, India- February 21, 2023: Noida Traffic Police personnel fined a challan to a commuter violating rules at Noida-Delhi Chilla border, in Noida, India, on Tuesday, February 21, 2023. (Photo by Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times) To go with Snehil’s story

Over the past few months, police have been receiving numerous complaints on the traffic helpline about motorists making short videos on Noida roads while performing various stunts. Police said drivers are often seen flouting traffic rules with impunity in favour of gaining “likes” on social media.

Traffic police said at least 55 fines, each amounting to nearly ₹20,000, were issued last month for violations related to making videos. Usually, vehicles are fined a maximum of ₹5,000 for traffic rule violations. Traffic offences that are common and carry a high penalty include driving without helmet or seat belt, rash driving, wrong number plate and parking in no parking areas. Drivers being fined ₹20,000-30,000 means that they were penalised for multiple offences.

Traffic police many social media ”influencers” also use horns, tyres and other accessories that are either not allowed or are unsafe for other road users.

“Some people have installed very loud music systems, or stadium-like high intensity lights that often blind oncoming drivers. There are others who change the colour of their car to something flashy, which is something that is not permitted by the RTO. These are all unsafe practices for the offenders themselves as well as other commuters,” said a traffic police officer, asking not to be named.

The complaints are more from areas in Greater Noida, said traffic police, mainly because vehicles prefer the deserted internal roads of Greater Noida that don’t have cameras or regular police patrolling.

“Unlike popular perception that expressways are usually the places where people drive rashly to make videos, it’s actually the internal roads, mostly in Greater Noida, that are the venue of such violations. This is mainly because all expressways have cameras and round-the-clock monitoring. Stunts like sitting on the bonnet of a moving car or riding on two moving cars or motorcycles are only possible on internal roads where the traffic is less and there are no cameras,” said the DCP.

Police commissioner Laxmi Singh said strict police action will continue against such stunt performers who use the roads as a stage to make videos for gaining likes on social media platforms. Such activity leads to safety issues, she said.