CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai City Traffic police on Thursday announced that offenders in drunk driving cases will have their vehicles seized if they fail to pay the fines. This comes a week after the implementation of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act in the State.
The new act revised fines for offences which witnessed a recent spike, including signal violation, overspeeding, cell phone driving, and drunk driving, among others. Fine for drunk driving was raised by five times. A person booked for drunk driving prior to the rule’s implementation was penalised with Rs 2,000, for both first and subsequent offences.
The offender will now be required to pay Rs 10,000 as many times as they are found in breach of the rule.
A senior police officer explained to TNIE that under the prior system, any person booked for drunk driving was sent home in a different vehicle - either arranged by the police or if the offender contacted another person to pick them up along with the vehicle.
In the absence of an alternative person to collect both the offender and their vehicle, the police would take the vehicle along with them. The offender received a message stating that a case was booked, after which they were required to pay the penalty and collect their vehicle from the police station.
Under the new system, failure to pay the penalty within 15 days will lead to the police approaching the court, which will issue a warrant ordering that the fine be paid in the next 15 days. The offender’s vehicle will be seized by the police after the end of the two-week notice period. “This system is implemented to ensure public safety,” the police officer added.
Juveniles stop MTC bus for Insta reels, nabbed
Two juveniles who stopped an MTC bus to record a video for Instagram reels were nabbed and made to monitor traffic as punishment by the city police. Police recalled a similar incident when two college boys recently stopped an MTC bus plying between Thiruvotiyur to Poonamallee route number 101, on the Ennore National Highway.
Before the bus driver or conductor could react, the duo made Instagram reels in front of the bus and fled in a motorbike. While the video went viral, the duo was apprehended by Washermenpet police. The boys were brought to the police station along with their parents and warned before they were let go.
“Using the magisterial powers bestowed on the IPS officer in the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police, officer Pawan Kumar instructed the students to monitor traffic along with the traffic personnel for two days after college hours,” said a police officer. ENS