Over 6,000 drivers booked for mobile use in crackdown

Hyderabad: In a major crackdown, Hyderabad traffic police booked as many as 6,046 drivers for using mobile phones while driving within a single week. According to the police, a special enforcement drive was conducted between 3 April and 9 April to curb the dangerous and increasingly observed practice of using mobile phones behind the wheel.

During the drive, a total of 6,046 drivers were found violating rules by using cell phones. Among them, 5,810 were two-wheeler riders, 51 were three-wheeler drivers, and 185 were four-wheeler or other vehicle drivers. Joint Commissioner for Traffic Joel Davis said this initiative was taken as part of sustained efforts to enhance road safety, ensure disciplined driving behaviour, and prevent avoidable road traffic accidents caused due to distracted driving.

Traffic police have warned that using mobile phones while driving is a grave traffic offence that significantly compromises road safety. It leads to cognitive, visual, and manual distraction, thereby reducing the attention span of the driver, slowing reaction time, impairing judgment, and increasing the probability of collisions.

Even a momentary distraction can result in severe accidents, endangering not only the violator but also passengers, pedestrians, and other road users. All violators will be produced before the court along with charge sheets and shall be penalised as per the law. Hyderabad Traffic Police has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards cell phone driving violations and will continue to conduct such special drives regularly in the interest of public safety.