Driving on wrong side to avoid detours? Get ready to pay fine

If you think you can go scotfree by driving on the wrong side of those important stretches or entering the one-way roads from the prohibited end with the traffic police not in the vicinity, the possibility is that a challan for the violation will be notified on your mobile phone even before you reach the destination by avoiding the detours.

The Greater Chennai Traffic police have already installed automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR) cameras at 11 crucial junctions which

are on a trial run. It will be officially launched soon to penalise those caught driving on the wrong side of the road. “The spots were selected based on a study to find out where the maximum number of traffic violations are getting reported. Four junctions have two ANPR cameras, while the rest have one each. The project has been completed at the cost of Rs 9.93 lakh,” said Additional Commissioner (Traffic) Kapil Kumar C Saratkar.

SIET junction at Teynampet, GE Koil Junction at Vepery, Anna Arch in Aminjikarai, and Maraimalai Adigalar Bridge near Little Mount in Saidapet are some of the spots where the ANPR cameras have been installed to keep the wrong-side driving in check. When the cameras become functional, the vehicle found moving on the wrong side will be captured and the phone number linked to the vehicle owner will get a message with a link to pay the fine. These ANPR cameras have already been installed at Anna Nagar roundana, ECR and GST and GNT roads to book traffic violators. “In a bid to save a few minutes, motorists, mostly two-wheeler riders, risk their lives driving in the wrong direction, which also poses a threat to fellow motorists,” said a traffic police officer.

While motorists have become, to a large extent, compliant with the helmet rule, the city police have shifted the focus to wrong-side driving, the second most common traffic violation.

The additional commissioner also said extensive campaigns are being carried out near the school campus for parents not to ride triples on two-wheelers and to autorickshaws and other vehicles not to accommodate wards beyond the vehicle capacity.