Traffic cops clicking pictures of traffic violators using their mobile phones and checking women pillion riders for helmets.
Traffic police said women pillion riders frequently resisted wearing helmets, citing discomfort, difficulty in maintaining hairstyles and the inconvenience of carrying an additional helmet. We are registering violations without discrimination and have instructed our personnel to intensify enforcement,” said P Pagalavan, joint commissioner of police (traffic). Chennai: Don’t be surprised if a traffic policeman clicks a photograph of your vehicle on his mobile phone, even on roads equipped with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras. Greater Chennai Traffic Police (GCTP) have instructed personnel to intensify checks against helmet violations, particularly involving women pillion riders, and ensure that women reluctant to wear helmets are not let off with mere warnings. Officials have made it clear that such reasons cannot be grounds for exemption from a safety rule. “Wearing a helmet is equally important for riders and pillion riders. There cannot be any gender-based exemption when it comes to road safety . Police have also been instructed to focus on motorists crossing stop lines, triple riding on two-wheelers and vehicles displaying defective number plates.