Unsafe parking soars at Ponda, 9k fined last year

Ponda: Despite several attempts by govt to create awareness about safe driving, the habit of motorists recklessly parking vehicles has not gone down. Compared to 2023, dangerous parking cases rose nearly 50% in 2024 across Ponda.
For wrong and dangerous parking, 9,311 motorists were fined between Jan and Dec of 2024 against 6,515 cases recorded in 2023. Ponda traffic police collected Rs 2.1 crore in penalties from defaulters.
Along with the dangerous parking, a rise was also noted in the cases of parking in ‘No Parking’ areas and driving under the influence of alcohol. A total of 603 vehicles were parked in the restricted areas against 318 in 2023.
On the charges of drunk driving, 317 persons were arrested in 2024 compared to 201 in 2023.
Ponda traffic PI Krishna Sinari attributed the rise in cases to better enforcement, leading to more arrests that otherwise went unnoticed.
In 2023, as many as 2,514 two-wheeler riders were penalised for not wearing helmets, whereas in 2024, it dropped to 2,247. It was also noted that motorists either use old, corroded or fancy registration number plates. In 2023, traffic cops registered 4,969 cases relating to vehicles with improper number plates, but the number dropped to 2,969 in 2024.
The traffic cell intercepted 139 two-wheeler riders for travelling triple seats in 2023, compared to 123 cases in 2024.