KOLKATA: The variation in traffic violations between weekdays and weekends appears to have disappeared since the enhanced traffic fines were introduced around January-end. The total number of traffic cases has also reduced from 2,500-3,000 per dayto 1,300-1,800 daily.
Earlier, there were more traffic prosecutions on weekdays with the cases other than dangerous or drink-driving declining during weekends. Now, all types of traffic offences, including the serious ones that may cause accidents have evened out throughout the week.
Cops said that while the societal behaviour of people has changed with long periods of shutdowns and it is due to rotational travelling to office that more people are driving to bars on weekdays. So, the focus of cops to stop dangerous and drink-driving has led to higher prosecutions even on weekdays.
The enhanced fines have made motorists cautious, leading to reduction in simple traffic offences and this has, in turn, allowed cops to focus on more serious offences, according to an officer.
In the past two days, there have been 88 cases of drink-driving and 163 cases of dangerous driving. Together, they account for 251 of 2,339 traffic prosecutions, which is close to 11% of all the offences.
In the last weekend in February, 169 motorists were pulled up for drink-driving and 194 for dangerous driving. Together, they comprised a little over 10% of all prosecutions.
Senior officers said intense checking has ensured that motorists must be on their toes all seven days of the week. Kolkata Traffic Police have been prosecuting more than 40 motorists and bikers each night based on breathalyzer tests, higher than even the numbers recorded in 2018-19. Amongst them, at least 12-18 each night is found to be drunk way beyond permissible limits. For dangerous driving, this number is around 60.
