Chennai: Cops tighten traffic rules, 242 booked for violations

Chennai: In a special drive held on Sunday night, police booked 242 offenders for rash and negligent driving on Kamarajar Salai along the Marina. Police also seized 16 two-wheelers, seven four-wheelers and an auto. Police said the drive was undertaken after repeated complaints were received about bikers driving rashly, endangering their own lives and those of others late at night on the Marina stretch.

Under the watch of 130 police personnel, 29 checkpoints were formed on the Marina stretch for the week-end.

Police personnel intercepted two-wheeler riders and four-wheeler drivers and booked them for over-speeding, riding triples and reckless driving. Also, 20 law and order patrol vehicles and five traffic patrol vehicles were deployed at the Kamarajar Salai to nab offenders.

While speeding bikes were intercepted, mostly in their teens or early twenties, were picked up by police for riding their bikes after consuming alcohol or riding triples.

“As many as 22 persons were booked for drunken driving, 10 for riding triples and 80 for rash driving / negligent driving, and 130 cases for helmetless riding, were registered on Sunday night,” said a press statement.

The police also reportedly seized 16 two-wheelers, seven four-wheelers and an auto-rickshaw during the operations.

Police said, "We started the weekend drive against speeding and other violations around 10 pm.

This went on till 2 am. Again, we started the Sunday morning drive from 5 am. The drive was initiated by the police following a flurry of complaints about youngsters racing at night on the Kamarajar Salai. The drive will continue until we curb the racing menace which seems to be a trend among youngsters. Minors found riding bikes will be dealt with severely," the officer said.

This comes a day after bike racing claimed the life of a 19-year-old college student from Pattalam, when he was riding with his friends in a reckless manner, on Kamarajar Salai.