Gurgaon: Despite an enforcement push, seat belt violations remain rampant on city’s roads. Traffic police challaned around 67,000 people last year for not wearing seat belts, yet compliance has shown little improvement. In Jan alone, around 4,700 drivers were challaned for not wearing seat belts, with fines amounting to Rs 47 lakh.Apart from seat belt violations, traffic police cracked down on vehicles using illegal black film on windows. During the same period, 809 vehicles were challaned for violating black film norms, and fines worth Rs 80.90 lakh were imposed. Last year, traffic police challaned 12,290 persons using black film.Police said some motorists continue to ignore safety rules by driving without number plates, indulging in triple riding on two-wheelers, and using black film, which can aid in committing crimes by concealing identities. During the campaign, traffic police conducted awareness campaigns at metro stations, railway stations, major intersections, schools, companies and offices of auto and taxi unions. “These programmes focused on educating commuters about traffic rules and responsible driving practices. Residents should not allow minors to drive vehicles, and only two persons should travel on two-wheelers while wearing helmets. Motorists should also refrain from driving in the wrong direction, using mobile phones while driving, consuming intoxicants before driving, and using black film on vehicle windows,” a traffic police officer said.Gurgaon traffic police spokesperson Vikas Verma said similar enforcement drives and awareness campaigns will continue in the coming months to make roads safer and ensure stricter adherence to traffic norms.Data shared by the police highlights the scale of violations last year. Helmet violations led to 3.9 lakh challans, while 4.5 lakh motorists were fined for triple riding or pillion rider violations. Police also recorded 5,812 cases of mobile phone use while driving, flagged as an emerging cause of accidents. As many as 2,03,936 motorists were fined for driving on the wrong side, along with 1.2 lakh overspeeding cases, 1.8 lakh wrong-side parking violations and 79,615 challans for sudden lane changes.
