In a first, instead of fining a driver who was caught driving on the wrong side, a 35-year-old truck driver was booked for rash driving after he was caught driving on the wrong side on National Highway 91 (NH-91) in Greater Noida on Tuesday, senior police officers said, adding that an FIR was registered to act as a deterrent as the menace of wrong side driving is rampant in Noida.
Traffic police are conducting multiple drives to curb wrong side driving, and according to police data, “In 2023, the traffic police issued 1.88 million e-fines for various traffic offences, of which 150,000 e-fines were issued for wrong side driving alone.”
In the whole of last year, 428 people were killed and 750 people injured in 1,000 road accidents in Gautam Budh Nagar, the data showed.
Amresh Singh, station house officer, Badalpur police station, said, “The truck driver has been identified as Amarpal, a native of Etah in Uttar Pradesh.”
Traffic constable Dharmendra Singh, who was made the complainant in the case, said that on Tuesday, when a team was on duty on NH-91, a truck loaded with sand was spotted speeding on the wrong side in Chapraula industrial area of Greater Noida. The traffic police swung into action and forced the driver to stop.
The SHO said, “Amarpal informed police that he was going from Dadri to Lal Kuan. The truck was seized after it was brought to the police station.”
“A case was registered against the truck driver under Section 279 (rash driving) of the Indian Penal Code and the driver was released on bail,” said Singh.
Traffic Inspector Sunil Kumar Singh said, “Wrong side driving can be fatal because there is an increased risk of head-on collisions.
When asked why police registered an FIR instead of simply fining him under the Motor Vehicle Act, SHO Singh said, “Usually, e-challans are issued to such violators, but as wrong side driving is increasing in the city, police registered an FIR and will continue to do so if anyone is found endangering the lives of others by violating traffic rules.”