Utter disregard for road safety as 100 cases booked every hour

Mysore/Mysuru: Traffic violations, including over-speeding, driving without seatbelts, lane violations and dangerously driving on the wrong side, continue unabated on the Mysuru-Bengaluru National Highway (NH-275). Every hour, the AI-based Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras detect over 100 violations.

According to data released by the Police, in 28 days of May 2024, when the cameras became fully operational, a total of 74,915 traffic violations were captured by 22 cameras installed on both sides of the 119 km stretch.

The highest number of violations were for drivers and co-passengers for not wearing seat belts, accounting for 57,057 cases, followed by 10,945 cases of over-speeding, 6,046 cases of lane violations, 494 cases of using mobile phones while driving, 80 cases of driving in the wrong direction and 293 other violations.

Most violations were detected by the ANPR system near Rajarajeshwari Hospital in Channapatna.

Notably, car drivers were the highest traffic violators for not wearing seat belts, overspeeding, and lane violations, followed by heavy goods vehicles, including KSRTC and private buses.

The cameras have been strategically installed at several key locations across Ramanagara and Mandya Districts. In Ramanagara, these locations include Puthappanadoddi Gate, BilagumbaSamip, Kethaganahalli Railway Cross, Kempanahalli Gate and Mudigere Gate.

Mandya has also seen the deployment of ANPR and Intelligent Transport Management System (ITMS) cameras at various spots.

Additionally, CCTV cameras have been installed specifically at toll gates along the Highway. In addition, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has installed video cameras at five other locations in each direction and set a speed limit of 100 kmph.

Additional Director General of Police (Traffic and Road Safety), Alok Kumar stated that despite the presence of these cameras, people continue to break the rules and exceed speed limits, leading to accidents, which shows an utter disregard for road safety. “It shows negligence on the part of people towards road safety, and for their own and others’ lives,” he said.

Once a violation is caught, notifications are sent to the phones of all traffic violators, making them aware of their offences. Penalties are deducted immediately from their FASTag accounts when violators’ vehicles exit at tolls.

In a related development, the Mandya Police has issued a press release saying that violators who have received notices through SMSes can pay the penalty online through https://payfine.mchallan.com:7271