24pc more fine was imposed on traffic violators in 2019

As part of the efforts of the Karachi traffic police to make the city’s roads safe through different modes of operations, they issued 3.49 million challans in 2019, with violators of rules fined Rs799.3 million, which is Rs155.59 million, or 24.17 per cent, higher than the fines collected in the preceding year.

Talking about traffic issues and other related problems, a senior officer told The News that those apprehended by the police also include the drivers who had either obtained their licences through illegal means or those who had not bothered to take the required test before acquiring their licences.

Since a significant number of drivers bypass official procedures to get their licences, many citizens of Karachi have little or no knowledge about traffic laws or conventions, added the officer.

“One can witness a number of accidents and traffic jams every day, but both of these can be significantly reduced if the citizens are aware of the traffic rules,” said the officer.

“For instance, there are conventions of travelling in lanes, changing lanes and even overtaking. But most citizens do not follow these and choose to drive as they wish. This sometimes results in accidents and at other times, in traffic jams.”

Moreover, he said, motorcyclists often die of head injuries because many prefer not to wear helmets. Transporters also contribute to the traffic mess of the city, as most drivers are neither well-versed nor educated in traffic laws, and many times, they do not even have driving licences, he added.

Whenever the traffic police launch a campaign against such drivers, transporters start creating hurdles for the police, block roads and organise “unfair” protests, lamented the officer.

Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector General of Police Javed Ali Mehar, who is the chief of the city’s traffic police, said that to make the roads safe, they have been conducting traffic education programmes, walks, seminars and lectures, as well as ensuring strict enforcement of the laws.

Statistics

During the year that has just ended, action against traffic violations recorded an overall improvement of 24.17 per cent when compared to similar actions taken in 2018.

A comparative chart of the tickets issued against traffic violations shows that in 2019 the police issued 3,488,818 tickets with fines of Rs799.3 million imposed on the violators. In 2018, however, the police had issued 2,657,465 tickets with fines of Rs643.71 million imposed on the violators.

Moreover, several special campaigns were also launched by the city’s traffic police in the previous year against serious violations in order to demonstrate their commitment to zero-tolerance and ensuring the people’s adherence to the relevant laws.

This included action against motorbike riding without a safety helmet, which resulted in 1,128,915 violators being challaned and the use of helmet increasing to 75 to 80 percent. The number of tickets issued for one-way and wrong-way violations stood at 1,179,162.

The drivers arrested under Section 279 (Rash driving or riding on a public way) of the Pakistan Penal Code was 5,001, and those held under Section 99 (Driving recklessly or dangerously) of the Motor Vehicles Ordinance was 9,626.

For signal-jumping, 32,277 violators were challaned, and for juvenile driving, 33,501 violators were issued with tickets. The number of those issued with tickets for driving without a licence was 79,121. Those challaned for driving unfit vehicles were 10,608 in number, while 21,546 tickets were issued over tinted glasses.