Madurai : Despite stepped-up enforcement by Madurai traffic police, motorists continue to drive on the wrong side of the road at several locations in the city. Flyovers, service roads and U-turn facilities meant to ease congestion have emerged as frequent violation points.
Around 8,087 cases were registered during the first nine months of 2026.
Traffic police said enforcement had been strengthened, with more cases being registered to deter motorists from taking such shortcuts. “Compared to 20-odd cases booked in connection with the offence, we book close to 30 a day this year,” a senior traffic police official said. If this trend continues, it could lead to fatal accidents,” Manikandan said. A senior traffic police official said that, apart from imposing penalties, police recommend temporary suspension of driving licences of repeat offenders involved in fatal crashes. “Even though action is taken against those who violate rules, the public needs to be aware of taking the proper route instead of the wrong route,” the official said.
Social activist V P Manikandan called for stronger action against habitual violators. “Police should impound the vehicles of habitual offenders and take stringent action against wrong-side driving. It is disheartening that people continue to violate the rule despite knowing the dangers involved.
A Venkatesan, a K Pudur resident who was injured in a crash involving wrong-side driving, said the practice was more common among youngsters, though others did it to avoid travelling farther. But what they don’t realise is that an accident, which happens in splits of seconds, can take months for the victim to recover and sometimes never from a loss,” he said. “People take shortcuts to reach soon.