In addition to the substantial fine, his license has been suspended for a period of one year. Officials also seized his bike.
Published Nov 10, 2023 | 1:24 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 10, 2023 | 1:24 PM
Traffic violators fined with the help of AI cameras in Kerala. (iStock)
A young man in Kerala has been slapped with a huge fine of over ₹86,000 by the Kerala Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) for violating traffic rules a staggering 155 times, which were caught by the Artificial Intelligence (AI) cameras set up across the state.
The 25-year-old man, who was caught on an AI camera, was found riding his two-wheeler without a helmet and carrying two passengers through the Mattool area of northern Kannur district in one of the incidents of rule violation.
What’s even more surprising is that the man allegedly made faces at the AI camera, MVD officials claimed.
In addition to the substantial fine, his license has been suspended for a period of one year. Officials also seized his bike, stating that it would only be returned after the fine was paid. The action was taken by the Enforcement RTO, Kannur.
The young man received the shocking news when MVD officials visited his residence to deliver the fine receipt.
Despite multiple warning messages sent to his mobile phone and a letter sent to his home, there was no response from him, indicating a blatant disregard for the law, officials said.
Upon realising the severity of the penalty, the man expressed his distress to the officials, revealing that even selling his bike wouldn’t generate enough funds to cover the fine.
Despite his plea, the officials explained that they were bound by the law and were unable to intervene in this matter.
Officials said that the incident highlights the efficacy of the AI cameras installed across Kerala’s roads in monitoring and enforcing road safety rules.
Earlier, in October, a biker who was caught violating traffic rules several times in the Muvattupuzha area of Ernakulam district, was fined ₹60,000.
The biker had changed a digit of his license plate to avoid getting caught by the police. However, the traffic police, with the help of the local police, identified the perpetrator and caught him.
The violations included riding without a helmet and riding with three passengers on the two-wheeler. The officials had seized the vehicle and suspended the license of the person.
Earlier, state Transport Minister Antony Raju had said that traffic violations and road accident deaths have come down drastically in the state since the installation of the AI cameras.
He also said that the cameras had even caught vehicles of MPs and MLAs flouting the rules.
Raju said that before the installation of the AI cameras, there were more than 4.5 lakh traffic violations per day in the state and it has come down now to around 44,000 per day.
(With PTI inputs)
