Rampant traffic rule violations put commuters at risk

Road safety guidelines issued by the Motor Vehicles department (MVD) and the police during the pre-monsoon checking drive have been thrown to the wind by a section of motorists, including private bus drivers, in Kozhikode city. Speed limit violations and dangerous overtaking remain rampant, putting passengers at risk.

MVD enforcement squad members said they had recently initiated action against operators of around 40 private buses in the city for various safety rule violations. “The checking drive is still in full swing to identify and act against erring drivers,” they added.

MVD sources said the earlier instructions to replace worn-out tyres with unsafe treads were yet to be taken seriously by some bus operators. They warned that such negligence could be hazardous as it may lead to aquaplaning and result in loss of control on wet roads.

“Last month alone, we exposed 4,315 safety rule violations, covering all types of vehicles. Nearly ₹1 lakh was collected as fine from the offenders,” said an MVD officer in Kozhikode city. He added that this was apart from over 27,000 similar violations detected through surveillance cameras.

Misuse of mobile phones while driving and triple riding by two-wheeler riders are also on the rise among the youth, according to MVD squads deployed for daily checks. Last month, 12,188 riders were fined for not wearing helmets, while 617 instances of triple riding were reported from various locations, they said.

Meanwhile, a section of private bus operators on the Kozhikode–Kannur route claimed that the rising number of accidents was largely due to the poor condition of pothole-ridden service roads. They also alleged that the police and MVD were “pretending to be ignorant” of such serious concerns while imposing hefty fines on drivers for “unintentional” violations.