Wrong side driving: a serious threat to road safety

Agency:News18Hindi

Last updated:February 03, 2025, 19:29 IST

In just 2022, 9,432 deaths occurred due to driving in the wrong direction, these numbers increased by 3.7% in 2023, these figures indicate immediate preventing this growth.

Introduction
In India, wrong side driving in road safety accidents has emerged as an important reason, which endanger life and disrupts traffic system. Despite a fine ranging from ₹ 500 to ₹ 1,500, this habit remains among the people, which presents a serious challenge for the traffic authorities. Whether it is deliberately driving or navigation, driving on the wrong side, is very dangerous in both high -speed areas, often leading to disastrous consequences such as serious injuries and deaths.

In just 2022, 9,432 deaths occurred due to driving in the wrong direction, these numbers increased by 3.7% in 2023, these figures indicate immediate preventing this growth. Increasing awareness, implementing new and better techniques and provision of rigorous punishment can serve as an effective solution against this dangerous behavior.

Serious threat to driving in the wrong direction

1- Competition face to face
o Driving contrary to the direction of traffic increases the chances of face-to-face collisions, especially in areas with sharp speeds, causing serious injuries or deaths.

2- Traffic disruption
o driving in the wrong direction creates confusion and obstacles, normal traffic is interrupted and the risk of accidents increases.

3- Legal and economic impact
o Criminals may face heavy fines, potential license suspension and imprisonment under various sections of law. Apart from this, the victims and those who violate the law have to face vehicle damage, medical expenses and expenses from insurance claims.

Legal provisions to deal with driving in the wrong direction

1- Indian Penal Code, Section 336
o Driving in the wrong direction is a crime, for which a fine of up to ₹ 5,000 and a sentence of up to six months can be done.

2- Indian Penal Code, Section 279
o This section prohibits driving carelessly, which can threaten life, for which a fine of up to ₹ 1,000, six months jail or both can be there.

3- Motor Vehicles Act, Section 184
o This section is designed to drive vehicles in the wrong direction and control other dangerous activities, which aims to provide protection to drivers, passengers and pedestrians.

The root cause of wrong side driving
• Crowd urban traffic: Drivers often seek shortcuts on congested roads to save time.

• More possibilities of improving traffic management: Many times the signals are bad or their coordination is not completely correct, due to which the violation of the rules increases.

• Circumstance or behavior: Often, people make a trend or behavior in the wrong side driving by ignoring small events in some areas.

• To justify your wrong decision as an emergency situation: The drivers sometimes cite an emergency to justify their wrong decision.

Use of technology to prevent wrong side driving
1- ANPR- Automatic Number-Plate Recognition:
o This arrangement enables authorities to identify violations in real time and impose punishment effectively.

2- Smart barricades with ANPR cameras:
o cameras equipped with modern identification capabilities that automatically record violations and take immediate action.

3- Tire-Ciller Spikes:
o This method punctures tires of vehicles trying to drive in the wrong direction, causing effective control over violations.

Next steps on the path of security
India’s plan to deal with those driving in the wrong direction is based on three points of technology, implementation of rules and laws effectively and awareness. By promoting responsible driving behavior and using new security measures simultaneously, the country can reduce road accidents to a great extent and can also ensure safe travel for all.

Remember, the convenience of deliberately driving in the wrong direction is not eligible to take danger. Every option on the road has the strength to save lives or to endanger life – let’s choose wisely.