Kathmandu, July 7

If the statistics released by Metropolitan Traffic Police Division are any indication, violation of traffic rules is on the decline but still widespread in Kathmandu valley.

According to MTPD, it recorded as many as 378,927 cases of traffic rule violation during the current fiscal compared to 546,560 in the last fiscal. A total of 569,809 traffic rule violations were registered in 2014-15 and 548,470 in 2015-16.

In the current fiscal, 38,114 drivers were booked for breaching lane discipline, 26,197 for drink-driving and 13,019 for honking unnecessarily. Likewise, 6,680 cabbies were booked for overcharging and tampering with fare meters and 7,397 public vehicles fined for stopping on zebra-crossings to pick and drop passengers.

Other common forms of traffic rule violations are disregard for traffic signals, use of mobile phone while driving, parking vehicles in the no-parking zone, seat belt infraction, mechanical modification of bikes, overloading vehicles, overtaking from the left side of the road and violation of one-way traffic rule. Violation of lane discipline tops the chart of offences and bikers are mostly ignorant about traffic rules, show the statistics. The use of CCTVs, surveillance vehicles and go-pro cameras to catch offenders have also helped curb traffic rule violations.

Traffic rule violations documented during the current fiscal period is on the decreasing trend due to strict enforcement of laws and increase in quantum of traffic ticket fee, said SSP Basant Kumar Pant, officiating in-charge of MTPD.

On an average, 1,600 motorists are caught violating traffic rules daily. He warned that many violations go unregistered as motorists tend to breach the rules when they don’t see on-duty cops in uniform.

Any person caught violating traffic rules is punished with a fine of minimum Rs 500 and maximum Rs 1,500. Earlier, the fine for traffic rule violation was Rs 25 to Rs 200.

SSP Pant claimed that it could be rare to find a motorist or a biker, who had not been punished by the law enforcement agency for violating traffic rules in the valley. Many of the motorists or bikers are repeat offenders. According to MPCD, an average of 800,000 vehicles ply the valley roads daily.

“Lack of infrastructures, inadequate road network and traffic congestion during peak hours have also made traffic rule violations a norm in the valley. The government is equally responsible for increased violation of traffic rules and road accidents,” a traffic police official said.