Mangaluru police collect ₹6.2 lakh in fines during week-long road safety drive

Mangaluru: City police imposed fines of around Rs 6.2 lakh during a week-long special enforcement drive against helmetless riding and wrong-side driving.

City police commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy CH stated that in recent months, accidents involving two-wheelers have resulted in an increasing number of fatalities and serious injuries due to head trauma. Similarly, wrong-side driving, often resorted to by motorists to save time or in violation of traffic rules, has led to head-on collisions, risks to pedestrians and inconvenience to other road users.

Police conducted special checks at major junctions across the city, along National Highways 66 and 169, on the outskirts, and at accident-prone locations to ensure strict enforcement of traffic regulations and raise greater awareness of road safety.

During the drive, police booked 1,050 cases against riders not wearing helmets and collected fines amounting to Rs 4,63,500. They also detected 322 cases of wrong-side driving and imposed fines totalling Rs 1,61,000. In all, 1,372 cases were registered against two-wheelers, according to the police.

DCP (crime and traffic) Ravi Shankar K said an additional highway patrol vehicle has been deployed on National Highway 169 between Baithurli and Mijar, covering a stretch of approximately 20km along the Bikarnakatte–Moodubidire–Beluvai road.

According to the police, the additional patrol vehicle will help ensure a quicker response to road accidents, improve public awareness of road safety, enforce traffic regulations more effectively, and maintain law and order along the highway. Both patrol vehicles will function around the clock in their designated areas.