Karnataka: Traffic Violators to Soon Get Immediate SMS Alerts in These Spots. Check Details

Bengaluru: In an attempt to increase traffic rule compliance in the state, the traffic and road safety wing of the state police will soon implement an immediate text message technique to alert motorists as soon as they have committed a traffic violation.

This move is expected to potentially reduce traffic violations by increasing vehicle users’ awareness. According to sources, the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway and Mysuru will be pushed first to have this system integrated on the back-end by the end of March.

Currently AI-based Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras are being deployed there. After the plan is implemented, the mobile number linked to the vehicle registration numbers that are detected on cameras for violating traffic rules, will receive a message."

Initially, the plan will be implemented in ANPR projects in cities such as Hubbali-Dharwad, Mangaluru, Belagavi and Davangere. Planning to go paperless, the Karnataka police aims to increase transparency of all transactions made. As many as 1,766 e-challan devices have been deployed in 722 police stations and 64 traffic police stations outside Bengaluru.

To start the process, already 483 body cameras have been ordered and another 250 body cameras are in the pipeline. To give a boost to digitalisation, authorities will encourage violators to pay fines via UPI, debit and credit cards. People can resort to cash payments only if these options cannot be accessed due to some reason.

In case of physical drives, it is mandatory for all authorised officers to wear a bodycam or stand at junctions where they are under camera surveillance so everything is recorded.