Chandigarh Roads Turn Into Formula One Track:

Chandigarh : Chandigarh’s roads transform into a Formula One track at night, with vehicles speeding at 150 km/h or more. The city has witnessed a sharp increase in road accidents due to high-speed driving, with 321 fatalities and 679 injuries reported over the last four years. Despite numerous efforts by the traffic police, people continue to violate speed limits and jump red lights, leading to deadly accidents.
Around 80% of the road accidents in the city occur at night, primarily due to speeding and red light violations. The city’s automatic speed detection system has captured vehicles traveling at speeds of 144-150 km/h, with the highest number of violations recorded on roads leading to Sector-46/47-48/49. Despite stringent measures by the traffic police, including imposing hefty fines for speeding and red-light jumping, the number of accidents remains high.

To address this issue, SSP (Traffic) Sumer Pratap Singh has instructed traffic officers to work overnight shifts, implementing radar guns and breathalyzer tests to catch offenders. Police have also been deployed at critical traffic light points and intersections. Further measures include suspending driving licenses for speeding, red light violations, and drunken driving.

In an attempt to reduce accidents, former DIG (Traffic) Shashank Anand, who underwent international training in London, suggested reducing the speed limits on certain roads, similar to strategies employed in the UK. This approach has proven effective in lowering accident rates. Reducing the speed limits in areas like Chandigarh’s central roads could significantly mitigate the risk of fatal accidents.

Police have urged citizens to avoid speeding and red-light violations, as radar and CCTV cameras capture offenders up to 500 meters before intersections, ensuring stricter enforcement of traffic rules.