Traffic violators in for more trouble

Traffic violators in for more trouble
Wednesday May 14 2008 09:37 IST

Express News Service
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BANGALORE: THERE’S more bad news for traffic violators. With the traffic police using their Blackberry phones in January, the first four months of 2008, have seen more that 5.5 lakh people being booked for traffic violations and more than Rs 8 crore collected as fine.

Additional Commissioner of Police Praveen Sood told reporters here on Tuesday that the police have decided to integrate the databases which store information on traffic offences at their automation centres, so that every time a road user is found violating rules, his past record and unpaid traffic challans become available on the Blackberry.

This is expected to enhance the penalty for repeat offenders. Officials said that drunken drivers are usually the repeated offenders, and such an integrated system will help suspend the drivers licence as well as increase the chances of imprisonment.

Officials also expect to settle all pending police notices on the spot or take further notices to settle in the court, for which the offender will have to surrender his original driving licence or the vehicle.

Traffic police advised the public to adhere to traffic rules and cooperate with the police. “A person, who has been issued a notice with regard to a traffic offence, has to pay the fine within seven days or the case may be sent to court,” he said.