Bengaluru: There has been a near five-fold increase in cases of motorists being booked for the use of shrill horns, which is rampant near traffic junctions especially after the signal turns green.
In 2017, Bangalore Traffic Police (BTP) had booked 30,112 cases for use of shrill horns, compared with 6,837 in 2016. Till February 28 this year, 5,260 cases have already been booked for the offence.
Rajesh, a cab driver said, “Most of the time people are so engrossed using their phones that they don’t even realise the signal has turned green, even after 10 seconds.” BTP have now started a drive to put an end to needless honking through their active social media campaign and by imposing hefty fines. R. Hithendra, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), said, “It’s been a while since we started this campaign and we are trying to create awareness through different social media posts so that people will know how important it is not to honk unless it’s absolutely necessary.” Anil Kumar, a senior traffic police said, “Motorists should exercise patience at the signals and avoid honking, especially in no honking zones. Continuous honking often creates unnecessary tension amongst the traffic police and also leads to high blood pressure and sugar levels.”
He wondered if people can so easily adapt to the pizza and burger culture, why can’t they follow driving discipline in the same way? A recent survey conducted by Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has also highlighted traffic as one of the main cause for noise pollution in sensitive zones, with the average decibel level of 85 decibels. Shiva Kumar, DCP traffic east said, “Rs 100 is the fine for honking in no honking zone and unnecessary honking. If the same person is caught multiple times then we will increase the fine up to Rs 500 or remove the horn itself.”
According to WHO, excessive noise can affect the health and well-being of citizens, and continuous exposure to levels above 80dB could lead to partial hearing loss. “Any sound above 85 decibels can cause severe damage to the ear’s inner cells and the person will not be able to hear high frequency sounds,” said Dr Subramanya, ENT specialist.
Even though constant interactive tweets with references from shows, etc have gained popular responses from citizens across the city, they still have a long way to go when it comes to raising awareness of the people towards this menace.
