GURUGRAM: The fine for driving on the wrong side has gone up 10 times in the city, with police adding the section of “dangerous driving” to penalise those found moving against the direction of traffic. Until now, those driving on the wrong side were fined Rs 500 for each violation. But Monday onwards, the traffic cops have been challaning such violators Rs 5,500 – Rs 500 for wrong-side driving and Rs 5,000 for dangerous driving. The first day of the drive saw 45 physical challans. Apart from a hike in the fine amount, the cops have also decided to increase the number of challans issued daily on the roads from 1,000 to 3,000. These will be in addition to the online and postal challans that are issued to violators caught breaking the rules on camera. Officials said they were updating the software so that the online fines for wrong-side driving were revised too. The police believe that the steep hike in fine will help discipline drivers in the city. But the effectiveness of the drive will depend on how thoroughly it is being implemented on the roads. Wrong-side driving has been found to be the reason for at least 20% of fatal accidents in the city. Previous attempts by the cops to rein the practice in have had little result as people continue to risk their lives to save a few minutes and litres of fuel by avoiding a detour. It was only around Sunday midnight that an MBBS student driving back to his college with a friend died after the car in which they were travelling crashed into a truck parked on the wrong side near the Garhi-Harsaru flyover. The police have identified 38 locations in the city that have reported accidents because of wrong-side driving. Among them are the flyovers at Shankar Chowk and IFFCO Chowk, both of which were constructed for vehicles moving only in one direction. “We have been analysing road accidents for some time and taking feedback from cops on the road. Wrong-side driving accounts for a substantial number of fatal accidents in the city. So, we have decided to focus on the menace. We have started with increasing the fine amount 10 times. People are aware of the traffic rules, but there still is a need to ensure strict discipline on the roads,” said Virender Singh Sangwan, DCP (traffic). So far this year, the police have issued around 25,000 challans for wrong-side driving. The numbers were 32,618 last year, 39,765 in 2020 and 49,761 fines the year before. The number of fines were likely to have been much higher in 2020 and 2021 if it were not for the lockdowns. “Challans issued on the spot have a significant psychological impact and tend to deter drivers from committing traffic violations. The strict enforcement of the drive over a sustained period is the only effective solution to curbing the practice,” said a senior traffic police officer. But it’s not just traffic fines, road engineering needs to be fixed too to bring down the number of accidents, feels Sewa Ram, a professor of transport planning at the School of Planning & Architecture in New Delhi. “Fines alone will not help. The authorities should fix faulty road designs to stop people from driving on the wrong side. A combination of these factors can prevent many accidents,” he added.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/fine-for-wrong-side-driving-jumps-from-rs-500-to-rs-5500-in-gurugram/articleshow/93740551.cms
