By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Aug. 22: The Metropolitan Traffic Police Division data shows that a total of 356,000 traffic rule violations were recorded during the last fiscal year 2020/21 in the Kathmandu Valley. And Rs. 190 million in fine has been collected from the violators.

As per the division, the violations include lane discipline, drunk driving, red-light violations, and illegal parking, among others.
“A total of 10,300 lane discipline violations have been recorded in the valley in 2020/21. Even recently, around 20-30 cases of lane violation are recorded on a daily basis,” said Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjib Sharma Das.

The traffic police officers informed that rampant traffic rules violation despite restriction orders amid the pandemic have shown that complying with traffic rules wasn’t a serious thing among the valley residents.
“We don’t use breathalyser amid the pandemic but still nab around 20 people a day on average for drunk driving as we can smell alcohol from afar. Even in such a situation, people drive,” said SP Das, who is also the spokesperson for the division.

Before the pandemic, around 150 to 200 people were booked for drunk driving on a daily basis in the valley.
The division has also been effectively utilising the CCTV cameras to spot the rule violators and book them. The violators are then identified through the transport department and are called to inform about the violation as well as the fine,” said SP Das.

Similarly, the division also fines vehicle based on the complaints they receive on social media and through their mobile apps.
The public have also been taking pictures or videos of the vehicles parked illegally, those stopped at the zebra crossing, those that drove through red light, among others and complain through our mobile apps.
“We have penalised 456 individuals for violating traffic rules in 2020/21 through the complaints we received in the apps. We urge the public to use the apps to complain against the violators,” SP Das added.
The Nepal Police data shows that a total of Rs. 1.163 billion as fines has been collected from the violators across the country in 2020/21.

“Traffic rules are still violated haphazardly. Public don’t even abide by the traffic lights when a traffic officer isn’t around. It is why we are opting for digital ways like CCTV cameras to keep proper surveillance and fine traffic rule violators,” said SP Das.
Police had added and repaired traffic lights in 19 different places of the Valley during the last fiscal year and is planning to add new traffic lights in major places. Five radar guns have also been bought to help reduce cases of accidents due to over-speeding.
A total of 166 individuals died in 9,545 accidents in the Valley during 2020/21.