Traffic cops warn wheelie stunt performers of stern action

Hameed Ashraf | NT

Bengaluru: With the traffic police personnel deployed on election duties, young thrill seekers on the city roads such as wheelie stunt performers are increasingly become troublesome. Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) has now come out with a stern warning to such adventure seekers putting their and others’ lives at risk by sending out a clear signal that despite the cops’ absence from the junctions, they can still crack down on the violators, anytime they want.

According to the BTP, around 30 to 35 traffic violation cases are being registered online per day. The offences range from driving without helmet, signal jump, no parking to performing wheelie stunts. So far more than one lakh cases have been filed in the last two months, sources said. As the police are busy with poll duty, the BTP has decided to send notices to the violators on their residential address. The violators will also receive an SMS alert on their phones about it.

Sources further said that the BTP has been receiving complaints of wheelies and stunts being performed by youngsters on main roads and flyovers here. Nitin Kumar, a resident of Deepanjali Nagar told News Trail how the number of wheelie performers has increased of late.

"Every evening when I take the BGS Flyover to return to my home, I notice a group of youths performing wheelie stunts while speeding and disturbing others. This happens every day without fail," he said. The police said that the stunt bikers endangering people's safety would be taken to task and vehicles with modified horns, defective or modified silencers causing nuisance and sound pollution seized.

"If a violator does not respond to the notice, it may lead to punitive actions for the non-furnishing of information," said an official from the Traffic Management Centre in the city. The traffic police are also empowered to take action against mechanics and garage owners found tampering with the bikes and silencers.

"In the past we had launched a drive and warned garage owners not to modify the bikes, However, this time round they will also be booked along with bike owners if they are caught breaking the law," said a senior traffic official. Meanwhile, the city is also witnessing an alarming rise in the number of fatal accidents.

According to a traffic police survey the highest number of deaths were reported due to rash driving and overspending resulting in hundreds of deaths, with over 200 casualties in the first three months of this year itself. Special Police Commissioner (Traffic) MA Salim said that a total of 1,197 accident cases were reported in Bengaluru in which 205 people died. Most of the accident cases involve twowheelers and pillion riders while 49 of the victims were pedestrians.

“When we observed the accident reports closely, we found that most cases occurred on the outskirts of the city such as Yelahanka, Kamakshipalya, Kengeri and Peenya.Compared to the previous year, the number of cases have not gone up,” he added.

"We are making all out efforts to prevent accidents and taking necessary measures. The number of deaths, accidents during Covid was more. Most of the accidents occur during night because there will be no traffic congestion prompting people to over-speed. Also, twowheeler riders do not wear helmets on the outskirts of the city," Saleem added.