Nagpur police extend night checks to 25 locations, with checkpoints to change daily
City traffic police have nearly doubled night-time checkpoints from 12 to 25 sites amid rising road accidents, and will change the locations every day.
Life has become harder for those who flout rules on Nagpur's roads at night. With road accidents on the rise, the city traffic police have decided to nearly double the scale of their night-time checks.
From Monday, checks began simultaneously at 25 locations in the city instead of 12. The drive will run from 10 pm to 2 am. Action will be taken against drunk drivers as well as those riding without helmets, triple-seat riders and those driving without valid documents.
According to the traffic police, motorists flout rules more at night. Drunk driving and riding without a helmet in particular raise the risk of accidents. Two-wheeler riders who do not wear helmets suffer serious head injuries in accidents, and in most cases the injury proves fatal.
DCP (Traffic) Aditya Mirkhelkar said that, given growing concern over road accidents, the night checking system has been made more effective. Different kinds of traffic violations will now be checked in a single drive. He said the aim is not only to catch drunk drivers but to ensure road safety rules are followed at night.
Until now, night checks were held in two phases. Vehicles were checked at 12 locations from 7 pm to 10 pm, and again at 12 locations from 11 pm to 2 am. Under the new arrangement, the two phases have been merged, with checks at 25 locations simultaneously from 10 pm to 2 am.
During this period, action will be taken for drunk driving, not wearing helmets, triple-seat riding and not carrying the vehicle's required documents. The police will also keep watch on those driving at high speed or recklessly.
The biggest change in the strategy concerns the checkpoint locations. The 25 checkpoints will be changed every day, so drunk drivers will not benefit from knowing where a particular checkpoint is.
Because the checkpoints will change without notice, motorists will remain wary of police action. The police believe such continuous and sudden action will not only curb drunk driving but also rein in violations such as riding without helmets, triple-seat riding and other traffic rule breaches at night.
