Majority of traffic cases being booked without stopping offenders on the road: Mangaluru Police Commissioner

Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal said in Mangaluru on Wednesday that police were booking a majority of traffic violation cases without stopping vehicles on the road, but by watching the violations captured through CCTV cameras and mobile phone cameras of traffic personnel.

Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal said in Mangaluru on Wednesday that police were booking a majority of traffic violation cases without stopping vehicles on the road, but by watching the violations captured through CCTV cameras and mobile phone cameras of traffic personnel.

At the valedictory of the National Road Safety month, Mr. Agrawal said, “Motorists should not think we are not watching. We are keeping vigil on traffic movement through CCTVs installed in different parts of the city. Traffic personnel are also taking photographs of the violators. We are avoiding physical contact for booking cases of traffic violations.”

In the last 45 days of 2024, the city traffic police have registered a total of 20,672 cases of traffic violations. Of this, 15,228 cases were based on the photographs taken by traffic personnel, while 5,444 cases were by watching CCTV camera footage at the Traffic Command and Control Centre.

A total of 1.59 lakh cases were booked in a contactless way in 2023. As many as 1.12 lakh cases and 84,255 cases were booked in 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Acting as per the guidelines of the apex court, the city police have sent to the Regional Transport Office in the last three years a total of 2,079 driving licences (DLs) of traffic offenders for suspension. Of the 37 DLs sent so far this year, the RTO has suspended one DL. Of the 1,562 DLs sent in 2023, 25 were suspended. In 2022, 480 DLs were sent and 44 were suspended.

Effective traffic enforcement, Mr. Agrawal said, had led to 14% drop in the number of accidents in January 2024, when compared with accidents reported in January 2023. A total of 65 accidents (12 fatal and 53 non-fatal) were reported in January 2024, while 76 accidents (nine fatal and 67 non-fatal) were reported in January 2023 in the four city traffic police stations, he said.

Senior Regional Transport Officer Shridhar Mallad said authorities were focusing on five Es — engineering, enforcement, education, trauma care and empathy — and bring down accidents by 50%.