Penalties, warnings fail to curb wrong-side driving on city roads

Driving on the wrong side in Chennai poses serious risks, with many motorists ignoring road safety rules and regulations.

Driving on the wrong side of the road has become almost quite normal in several locations in the city.

Mostly two-wheeler riders, and in some cases, autorickshaw drivers indulge in this traffic violation, causing problems for other motorists and pedestrians.

Naresh Kumar, an autorickshaw driver at Zamin Pallavaram, said he chooses to drive on the wrong side if the U-turn is at a distance.

“I do so only on service lanes, not the main road. I drive slowly and don’t trouble others. If I were to take the U-turn on the other side, I would have to drive for another kilometre, which is a waste of fuel,” he said.

One can find people riding on the wrong side even on major roads such as Anna Salai, Velachery 100 Feet Road, Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road, Rajiv Gandhi Salai, and Jawaharlal Nehru Salai.

Chromepet resident S. David Manohar said that one could find people driving on the wrong side even on the GST Road. “Parents going to a school at Chromepet, located on the GST Road, drive on the wrong side. Some gig workers too drive on the wrong side. The police should conduct a special drive to prevent motorists from driving against the flow of traffic. It is more harmful than helmet-less driving,” he said.