Ambala cops tighten noose around heavy vehicle drivers for flouting lane-driving norms

Tightening noose around heavy vehicle drivers who change their lanes frequently and drive recklessly instead of following lane-driving norms, the Ambala police have registered 47 cases in the first 13 days of the year.

A number of heavy vehicles drivers, including the Haryana Roadways drivers, can be spotted changing their lanes frequently on the national highway. The things get difficult for light vehicle drivers during the late hours, as the heavy vehicle drivers use all three lanes of the highway in the absence of challaning late in the evening.

As per the Ambala police, a regular campaign is being run by the police on the National Highway and over 37,750 challans have been issued over the past 904 days in Ambala.

According to the data obtained, six FIRs were registered in 2023, and 65 FIRs were registered in 2024. In January this year, 47 FIRs have been already registered against the heavy vehicle drivers and 609 challans have been issued for violating the lane-driving traffic rules during this period.

While the police have been taking action against the violators, the transporters also seek action against the drivers who violate the traffic norms. Recently, members of a transporters’ association had requested Haryana Cabinet Minister Anil Vij to get licence of such drivers cancelled.

The transporters claimed that the heavy vehicle owners were forced to pay fines for the challans being issued for wrong-lane driving by the drivers. The government should cancel the licence of the drivers and initiate action against the drivers to make them drive in the designated lane.

SHO Traffic Joginder Singh said, “For effective enforcement of lane driving on National Highway-44, regular challaning is being done and cases are also being registered. This also becomes a cause of accidents. Besides the challanning, we also sensitise the drivers about the traffic rules. Our teams hold meetings with the driver unions and appeal them to follow the lane-driving norms on the national highway. The vehicles are also impounded.”

As per the Motor Vehicles Act, the heavy vehicle and speed-restricted vehicle should move in the left lane within its prescribed speed limit. To ensure road safety, it is necessary that lane driving rules are followed so that the light vehicle drivers do not face any difficulty, he said.

Meanwhile, Ambala Superintendent of Police Surinder Singh Bhoria, said, “To prevent accidents on the national highways we have been focusing on lane driving. The heavy vehicle drivers who change lanes are being penalised and cases are also being registered. Special drives are also organised to make the drivers aware. The SHOs have been directed to ensure strict compliance of the speed limit and lane driving, so that the other commuters don’t face inconvenience on the highway. Strict compliance of the traffic norms are being ensured.”