An official reported on Friday that during a special drive, the transport authorities in Odisha suspended over 12,500 driver’s licences and issued 24,474 e-challans for motorbike riding without a helmet.
From August 16 to August 30, the state transport authority (STA) organised a special campaign statewide to discourage using motorised two-wheelers on state and federal highways without a helmet.
The state collected Rs 63.98 lakh in fines from the offenders throughout the drive. Similarly, according to Lalmohan Sethi, additional commissioner for transportation, enforcement, and road safety, 888 automobiles had been impounded for operating without a valid licence.
The primary goal of the campaign was to instil in road users a sense of accountability for preventing fatalities and accidents on the road.
According to Sethi, it has been shown that many of the incidents that occur on state and federal highways include riders of two-wheelers.
He declared that throughout the month of September, there would be more enforcement drives.
September has been designated as the month of enforcement in anticipation of the approaching puja and the winter season. He issued a warning that there will be no tolerance for breaking the law on motor vehicles and traffic.
The focus of enforcement drives will be drunk driving, helmet inspections, and vehicle safety, including school buses and vehicle overloading. He stated that the drives will occur regularly throughout the month.
In Odisha, driving without a helmet is a major factor in traffic collisions and serious injuries. In the year 2021, traffic accidents claimed the lives of up to 1,308 individuals, including riders (868) and pillion riders (440) of motorised two-wheelers.
The majority of them lacked helmets. Accidents involving two wheelers resulted in a total of 1,280 people suffering severe injuries and 747 suffering only moderate ones.
Prasanta Patnaik