6 days ago
Rushing Now, Paying Later: Capital Sees 14% Rise In Speeding Offences
New Delhi: The number of prosecutions related to speeding saw a 14% increase this year compared with the same period last year.
data showed that from Jan to June 15, as many as 14,27,691 notices were issued to drivers for speeding against 12,55,634 in the same period last year.
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A police officer said speeding was frequent during night hours and on stretches with lighter traffic.
According to the officer, commercial and heavy vehicles also raced away when the no-entry time was lifted. SUVs are regular offenders in these cases.
An officer revealed that many offenders admitted to speeding for the thrill, while others were found to be intoxicated. Some claimed they were in a hurry or heading to important destinations, but the officer stressed that no justification outweighed the risks posed to public safety.
"Night-time speeding, especially involving commercial vehicles and SUVs, remains a significant concern," the officer added.
The data showed that Vasant Vihar, with 1,53,997 notices, led the most affected areas in traffic circles followed by Mehrauli with 1,19,356 and Mayur Vihar with 1,13,360.
Ajay Chaudhary, special commissioner of police (Traffic), disclosed that in order to effectively curb the offence of speeding, law enforcement authorities had installed over-speed violation detection (OSVD) cameras at various locations.
These advanced cameras are designed to automatically detect vehicles exceeding the speed limit and promptly send the violation details to the police control room.
Rohit Baluja, president of the Institute of Road Traffic Education, highlighted that the core issue behind speeding lay in the improper determination of speed limits, which should follow sound traffic engineering principles. He stressed ambiguity in setting and displaying speed limits, citing the Motor Vehicles Act, Section 112, standing order 1522(E), and Indian Road Congress Codes of Practice as essential references.
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Baluja also said that many drivers sped to compensate for lost time or due to a lack of monitoring. He recommended placing speed signs on both sides of roads and repeating them after every junction. Enforcement, especially at night, is minimal and urgently needs improvement.
Transport expert Anil Chhikara recalled that in the 1980s, vehicles used to vibrate when driven above 60kmph. This served as a natural deterrent to speeding. However, with car manufacturing and technologies improving, today, even at speeds of 100 kmph, there are no such vehicular alerts and the cars race ahead comfortably even at such speeds. He also said that driver training did not adequately emphasise the importance of avoiding speeding.
