689 driving licences suspended in Chandigarh for violation of traffic rules in 2023

Dushyant Singh Pundir

Chandigarh, December 30

Riding a two-wheeler without a helmet and triple-riding were two violations that led most driving licence suspensions in the city this year.

According to the data compiled by the Registering and Licensing Authority (RLA), 689 driving licences were suspended from January 1 to December 30 this year for various violations. As many as 457 (66%) of the permits were suspended for riding without a helmet or triple-riding. For comparison, a total of 1,052 driving licences were suspended in 2022 for various traffic violations.

Total Suspensions from Jan 1 to Dec 30

Without helmet/triple-riding 457

Speeding 107

Drunken driving 74

Using mobile phone 18

Red light jumping 6

Dangerous driving 4

Blowing pressure horn 4

Others 19

In the last year too, most licences (681) were suspended for similar infractions. Further, 107 licences were suspended for overspeeding this year, and 242 were suspended in 2022.

At least 18 licences were suspended for the use of mobile phones while driving this year, and 59 were suspended for the same offence last year. A total of 74 driving licenses were suspended for drunk driving this year, and 20 were suspended last year.

Pertinently, Section 19 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, along with Rule 21 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, recommends the suspension of driving licences for up to six months for violations such as the use of mobile phones while driving, overspeeding, drunk driving and jumping the red light. For riding without a helmet, the driving licence is suspended for three months, and a fine is imposed.

In the total cases of suspension in 2023, only 35 licences have been returned so far. Nearly 225 Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) cameras have been installed at 47 junctions under Chandigarh Smart City Limited. These cameras take note of traffic violations, and a challan is generated on the vehicle registration number of the traffic violator.