4,61,312 road accidents were reported during the calendar year 2022, an 11.9% increase over the previous year.

According to a report published by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, ‘overspeeding’ was the main cause of road accidents in 2022.

4,61,312 road accidents were reported during the calendar year 2022, an 11.9% increase over the previous year. The fatalities went up by 9.4% to 1,68,491 deaths.

As per the report, 71.2% of the total deaths and 72.8% of injuries related to road accidents were caused by overspeeding. Overspeeding-related incidents increased by 12.8% compared to the previous. Deaths and injuries also went up by 11.8% and 15.2%, respectively.

Driving on the wrong side of the road was the second highest cause of road accidents in 2022. Drunken driving and use of mobile phones while driving accounted for 7.4% of the total accidents and 8.3% of deaths.

The number of people killed who were not wearing helmets was 50,029. Of these, 71.3% were drivers and 28.7% were passengers. 1,01,891 people who got injured were not wearing helmets and 42,303 people were not using seat belts.

It's no smart move. It's a dangerous one that has no rule book or any kind of scientific backing.

BHPian PRO77 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Here is an image I took while traveling on AP and TS highways. These barrels and barricades meant for reducing speed were dangerous enough on 4-lane highways but they are even more so on 2-lane highways. We had many close calls with these; they can be very deadly and can cause serious crashes. Please let me understand my dear BHPians' view.

Here's what BHPian Raghu M had to say on the matter:

It's no smart move. It's a dangerous one that has no rule book or any kind of scientific backing. You place those drums or police barricades wherever you want and hope that it will reduce speed or help you in checking vehicles but it's dangerous and has led to umpteen no. of accidents. There are no warning signs, no change in tarmac or any kind of warning for a regular driver.

Here's what BHPian AlphaLamb had to say on the matter:

These barrels are as "Smart" at managing speed (traffic) as are the metal barricades put up on the junctions of national highways around the country, though on my travels through highways in TN, it almost seems like the authorities there have perfected the placement of metal barricades to an art.

These, I believe are stop gap arrangements made by authorities (who do not wish to expend their efforts to put in well regulated and non hazardous measures) which tend to become a permanent measure until they end up becoming the cause of an accident themselves.

Here's what BHPian DicKy had to say on the matter:

Seriously the authorities really need a lesson on what a highway is, what a major road is, what a minor road is and the concept of a slip road.

Ofcourse they are aware of the above, but take the easy way out to cover up the infrastructure or regulation shortcomings. In Tamilnadu, the barricades have become a sort of advertisement/sponsoring board for the nearby big textiles/ jewellery businesses.

If they don't have slip roads or can't have traffic signals at 90° four way junctions, find some way to slow down the traffic from the smaller roads. Most of these four way junctions should not exist the way they are designed. Good thing is in many places in South Tamilnadu they are building flyovers over the big junctions, but on the other hand the newly built NH66 stretch in south Kerala has a couple of four way junctions thanks to vote bank politics and barricades have sprung up a la Tamilnadu style.

Here's what BHPian HappyWheels had to say on the matter:

Such barricades are rampant across Tamil Nadu (not drums but steel barriers). They are usually placed on the highway where there is a crossing. Hate them to the core. Yes, they do force people to slow down, but also causes traffic blocs and also accident, especially with one that are placed on turns, with no fore warning.

Sad that other states are following this unscientific approach. But hey, hitting a plastic drum is safer than steel barricades, I guess.

Here's what BHPian ABHI_1512 had to say on the matter:

As far as barrels or barricades go, yes they are hazardous but still the best shot for saving the lives of many people. We here in West Bengal have been seeing these barricades on the national highways since long.

Most of the four lane highways in the state are used randomly by people living on both sides of the highways and they have even gone to the extent of making openings through the median dividers to cross the highways. These mindless crossings have put the authorities in a fix. While this problem can be solved by making underpasses and putting crash barriers across the highways, it’s anybody’s guess how many one can make !!

So, the authorities have come up with this ingenious idea of putting these barricades and barrels to slow down cars and trucks. They have actually created a bigger problem for cars and most dangerously for the trucks. I have found many a trucks swerve dangerously before the barricades and it’s about time that the authorities come up with something that will not put lives in danger- both of the pedestrians as well as the ones sitting inside the machines. One good thing, at least in West Bengal, they usually remove these barricades during the night. I hope NHAi in tandem with the local authorities finds a more judicious and prudent way to save lives which probably they know already but don’t have the means or intent to implement on the ground !!

And until something better comes up, we all have to drive cautiously and with our eyes wide open !!

Here's what BHPian antz.bin had to say on the matter:

The way I see them, these chicanes are installed by the local police who are sick of all the accidents happening at the spot due to people driving the speed limit unaware that they should slow down for something that exists there but the driver was not made aware of.

These chicanes should have been included in the highway at the construction/design phase but since the right people didn't do it, the local police had to take matters into their own hands in the interest of saving lives. But since they are the police and not highway designers, they will obviously do a shoddy job because this is supposed to be an MVP release of the Chicane. Something that had to be done because the road designers *forgot*.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

430 advanced CCTV cameras will be installed at 106 locations along the e-way by mid-October.

The Mumbai-Pune Expressway is monitored closely around the clock for traffic violations. Now, with upgraded systems in place, it's going to get really difficult to speed on the access-controlled e-way.

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is installing 430 advanced CCTV cameras at 106 locations along the route by mid-October.

Sanjay Yadav, the joint MD of MSRDC, revealed that all cameras will be interconnected through an optical fibre network to a central control room. An Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) will document various traffic violations, such as excessive speeding, reckless driving, wrong-way driving, motorway stops, lane changes, and driving in the wrong lane, among others.

The system will also feature a spot and average speed detection system at 39 locations and a lane discipline violation detection system at 34 locations. 130 spots on the e-way will be equipped with wrong-way entry detection, while variable messaging signs and weather monitoring systems will be installed at 23 locations and 11 locations, respectively.

The system will also keep an eye on commercial vehicles. There will be weigh-in-motion systems at all entry points. An automatic vehicle counter and classifier will be installed at toll booths, along with automatic number plate recognition and violation detection cameras for penalty collection.

Mobile surveillance vans and emergency vehicles like towing vans, ambulances and cranes will be equipped with displays, cameras and a vehicle tracking system.

A command and control centre located at Lonavala will receive the feed from all the cameras. Officials will also be able to access the feed online. Violation challans will be generated immediately and validated by officials with photo and video evidence.

Source: Mid-day

I had received a SMS about Lok Adalat, but it has no further details of where to go for this Lok Adalat in Mumbai.

BHPian Dieseltuned recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello friends,

I recently received an incorrect challan on my 2 wheeler wherein the evidence provided by the Mumbai Traffic app is not of my vehicle. There is a minor difference of one alphabet in the number of both these vehicles and the challan has incorrectly landed on my vehicle.

I had received a SMS about Lok Adalat, but has no further details of where to go for this Lok Adalat in Mumbai.

I have raised a grievance on the app and also emailed the same to the Traffic Police email id but the challan still shows as grievance status in process.

What should be done, should I wait for the grievance to be resolved ?

What is the process of this Lok Adalat?

Regards,

Dieseltuned.

Here's what BHPian sachinwadhwani had to say on the matter:

I had two fines for my 4 wheeler. When I clicked images, one was a rickshaw and the other was a goods vehicle. In both it was the mistake of a single digit on the number plate. I searched the Mah Traffic app there is an option for grievance (just search a bit you'll find it). I used the option and filled the form along with proof and within 48 hours both my challans were cancelled.

There is a step by step process that I followed. Open app Mum Trafficapp - log in using mobile and OTP - check 'My E-challans' if your challan is still showing as unpaid alongwith image proof - then go back to main page and go to 'Grievance' and at bottom right you will see a + sign = go to that + sign and follow the steps.

Hope this helps.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The app is currently available on the Play Store for Android devices in the UK.

Speedcam Anywhere - is a new smartphone app that allows users to record a video of passing vehicles suspected of going over the speed limit. The app also comes with a software that reads the vehicle's registration plate and uses the DVLA data to determine its make and model. Further, the footage can be saved by the user and can be used to generate the report.

The idea of the app is that users record such incidents of over-speeding and pass on the information to relevant authorities. However, the Home Office in the UK has not approved the app as a certified speed detection device and hence it cannot be used to penalise drivers.

The Speedcam Anywhere app is said to have been developed by a team of artificial intelligence scientists. However, reports state that the actual identities of the creators are being kept a secret, as the mobile application has created quite a few controversies in the public, with claims that the creators have even received abusive emails.

The app is currently available on the Play Store for Android devices in the UK. Reports suggest that it could be launched in the USA as well.

Source: Auto Express

People were posting the pics of their e-challans, many of them being fined for speeds in the range of 50s and 60s.

BHPian PassionateDrive recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Last year in the month of March while I was driving back from Durg (CG) to Pune (MH), in the section of road which goes around the city of Amaravati, I was fined for over speeding. I realized this only when i happened to check the e-challan status on the MahaTrafficApp, somewhere in the month of August. Couple of points which were little difficult to come to terms with:

• I was caught over speeding at a speed of 87 km/hr, while the speed limit was 80. And this was a 4 lane highway.
• I was probably caught on a slope (that's what is perceived from the picture posted on the app with the vehicle speed and the limit).

Without much deliberation with anyone, I immediately paid the challan online, having thought I was already late in paying the fine.

Fast forward to Dec 21; while I was randomly scrolling through my FB posts, on one of the groups related to traveling, I saw a lot of people commenting on the over speeding challans. People were posting the pics of their e-challans, many of them being fined for speeds in the range of 50s and 60s.

And out of curiosity, i filed a RTI query on the amount of e-Challans charged for over-speeding in the year 2021. Following were my questions:

• Total Amount of eChallan charged towards over-speeding for the year 2021.
• Total Amount of eChallan charged towards over-speeding on national highways and state highways in Maharashtra.
• Total Amount of eChallan charged towards over-speeding below 60 kms/hr in the year 2021.
• Total Amount of eChallan charged towards over-speeding between 60 kms/hr to 80 kms/hr in the year 2021.
• Total Amount of eChallan charged towards over-speeding between 80 kms/hr to 100 kms/hr in the year 2021.
• Total Amount of eChallan charged towards over-speeding between 100 kms/hr to 120 kms/hr in the year 2021.
• Total Amount of eChallan charged towards over-speeding beyond 120 kms/hr in the year 2021.
• Total Amount of eChallan received against the charges towards over-speeding in the year 2021.

Fast forward to today; I was kind of irked to see an email dated 12th Jan that my RTI query was 'Disposed of'. Not knowing the exact meaning of 'Disposed of', i checked the status of my query on the RTI portal, and to my surprise, i had the answer to most of my queries! Below is the answer:

• Total challan charged for over-speeding in the year 2021: 9,91,31,19,000.00 (~991.31 CR).
• Challans charged under various speed limits:

• Challans for speeds between 60 to 80 kms/hr account for 58% of the total challans (~572.03 CR).
• Vehicle speed not known for challans issues using hand held devices, which do not store vehicle speed, these account for 13% of the total challans issued (~129.5 CR).
• Total challans received: 1,14,47,00,500.00 (12% of total challans issued).
• No data to bifurcate the challans between state highways and national highways (MH).

Couple of points worth noting:

• Total revenue in one calendar year from just one traffic rule is almost 1000 CR ! (if we suppose all that is charged is paid eventually).
• Challans for speeds below 80 kms/hr account for 73% (58+15) of the total challans (~726.21 CR).
• Unpaid challans are either to be paid or challenged in the court. If the vehicle speed is within 5km/hr of the speed limit, these can be applied to be waived off. Without addressing the challans by either of these methods, the vehicle cannot be transferred, renewed, and going forward, scrapped.

Here's what BHPian aargee had to say on the matter:

Add to that every year, the fine gets compounded 4% annually until it's paid in full.

The 5 Kmph waive off is essentially +/- 5 unit waive off is observed in Western countries (I know for sure in US) attributing towards error in measuring device, so, that's perfectly acceptable.

In addition to imposing penalty with speed offenders, I would also strongly advocate for speed defenders!! Meaning, people who obstruct traffic, jay walkers, cattle owners for letting them gaze all over concrete town & people who don't maintain minimum speed & most of all, the immediate need of the nation - driving & riding on wrong side.

And parents who're riding/driving with children on wrong side must be imposed 10 times of the penalty not just for the offense but also being role model in doing so!!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The fine for speeding on the Mumbai-Pune expressway has been doubled.

The fine for speeding on the Mumbai-Pune expressway has been doubled. Now, if you're caught speeding on the e-way, be prepared to shell out a fine of Rs. 2,000.

The revised penalty seems to have come into effect following the implementation of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019. Under the new law, compounding fees for traffic offences have been hiked with the aim to ensure discipline among road users.

The speed limit for light motor vehicles (LMVs) and heavy vehicles is 100 km/h and 80 km/h, respectively. However, on accident-prone stretches of the highway, all vehicles have to adhere to a lower speed limit.

Besides speeding, the authorities have also been cracking down errant drivers to enforce lane discipline.

The authorities will set up time booths on the Jewar and Agra portions of the expressway to monitor the time taken by vehicles using the expressway.

To control the number of accidents happening on the Yamuna Expressway due to over-speeding, the authorities have implemented a new rule. Cars will have to complete the journey on the expressway in more than 99 minutes, while heavy vehicles will have to take more than 124 minutes. Vehicles completing the journey before the stipulated time will be fined via an online challan.

The authorities will set up time booths on the Jewar and Agra portions of the expressway to monitor the time taken by vehicles using the expressway. Earlier, the authorities used to check the amount of time taken by a vehicle between two toll booths, to determine if it was speeding.

Apart from the new rule, the Yamuna Expressway is also set to get boom barriers. Authorities also plan to install statues of cars that have met with accidents to try and deter drivers from over-speeding.

The length of the Yamuna Expressway is 165 km. The maximum speed that cars are allowed to touch on the road is 100 km/h.

Source: News18

He said the speed limit on that particular stretch is actually 40 kmph and even though I am not overspeeding in actual terms, it is technically overspeeding and I am liable to pay a fine of 1000 bucks for the offence!

BHPian Emvi recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Today my car was stopped by the highway patrol cops on the Madikeri-Mysore highway about 2-3 Kms from Madikeri while I was returning from Mysore. I absolutely had no idea, why I was stopped. After stopping, on enquiry, I was asked to present the vehicle documents to the Inspector seated inside the highway patrol vehicle. And when I met the inspector, he did not bother to check the documents, he just said that I was overspeeding.

I was shocked further and asked him to show me the proof that I was overspeeding. He promptly showed me the monitor connected to the speed gun, which had recorded my speed and it was 60 kmph! I just did not know how to react. I confronted the cop and questioned him, how on earth could a speed of 60 kmph on a highway be considered as overspeeding!? He said the speed limit on that particular stretch is actually 40 kmph and even though I am not overspeeding in actual terms, it is technically overspeeding and I am liable to pay a fine of 1000 bucks for the offence! C'mon. He said there are speed limit boards beside the highway, which I am not sure. I have never seen/noticed such boards all these years.

One thing that did not irritate me further was the politeness of the cops. The cops never used the infamous "police language" during the entire duration of the event. Only thing the inspector agreed upon was to cut down the fine. How? It's interesting. He said he will fine me just 500 bucks instead of 1000 for not wearing the seatbelt. I was definitely wearing the seatbelt and when I told him so, he coolly said he knew it, but that's the only way he can reduce the fine! I just have no words for this kind of atrocity. Since I did not want to pay for the offence that I did not commit, I objected to his offer and told him that I am willing to pay the fine of 1000 bucks with a condition that I should be given the receipt and the proof of overspeeding. He agreed only after my persuasion.

I have a few questions:

• Is the speed limit of 40kmph on highways a valid one?
• Are deviations to the prescribed speed limits allowed in the rulebook? If yes, by how much?
• How can I escalate this matter to the higher authorities, if you think I have a case here?

Here's what BHPian Hayek had to say on the matter:

Frankly, speed limits on loads of Indian roads are a joke. I am generally law-abiding and do not believe in driving at very high speeds - but following some of the speed limits such as 30 kph on the JJ flyover, 50 kph in parts of the Sea Link and the random variations between 40, 50, 70 and 80 kph on other flyovers in Bombay is impossible and arguably more dangerous than “speeding” along with the traffic. I do try and slow down in areas where known speed cameras are located (as do most other regular road users - so slowing down is not necessarily dangerous), but have taken a call that paying some speed fines is part of the cost of driving on Indian roads.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The Maharashtra Highway Police will be procuring new cameras over the next 90 days or so to catch speeding vehicles. These cameras are a lot more advanced compared to the existing ones. They are claimed to be able to monitor 32 vehicles in two or three lanes at a time.

The new machines are called Radar Speed Machines (RSM). The authorities have started the tender process for the purchase of 155 RSMs, which are made in Bengaluru and Delhi. The machines will be installed atop the highway police vehicles.  The Government of Maharashtra has sanctioned Rs. 13.95 crore for the same. The highway police will be allotted money from the Road Safety Fund.

The police believe that the RSMs will reduce the number accidents and accidental deaths, particularly in rural areas. Maharashtra recorded 20,045 accidents and 8,175 deaths on its roads in 2019. These accidents were caused due to drivers cutting lanes, over speeding and overtaking dangerously. RSMs can capture a photograph, speed and registration number of a vehicle. These can be used as evidence.

At present, the police are using laser machines to catch speeding vehicles. These machines can capture only a single vehicle at a time. Due to this, any driver who is caught argues that others have been speeding as well and not stopped.

Note: Image used for representation purpose only.

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