CHENNAI: Cancelling driving licences and seizing vehicles are among the measures that the Chennai traffic police have proposed to curb repeat violations, as officers flagged difficulties in securing pending fines. The proposal is currently under discussion with the State government.
Speaking at the Tamil Nadu Road Safety Conference 2026, organised by the Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG), Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Megalina Iden said, "Pending fines are collected only when vehicle owners approach Regional Transport Offices for fitness certificates." She questioned the effectiveness of existing measures when motorists are allowed to continue using their vehicles even after violations.
Between October 2025 and September 2026, the police booked 26,273 drunk-driving cases. At Rs 10,000 each, the fines amounted to Rs 262.73 crore, of which only Rs 120 crore has been paid up so far. The problem extended to 7,000 signal-violation cases and 6,700 cases of mobile phone use while driving, besides over-speeding and helmetless riding.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) B Chamundeswari spoke of the difficulty in enforcing helmet use despite awareness campaigns and penalties. The police booked 2,84,123 helmet cases over the past year, and only about half the fines across the categories she cited had been paid up.
"Technology has made detection of violations easier, but it has not resolved the problem of non-compliance," the official noted.
Chennai's Integrated Traffic Management System, under the Smart City project, includes adaptive signals, incident detection, red-light, speed and lane violation detection, and automatic number-plate recognition cameras. About half the project is in place, with the rest expected to be completed soon, according to the department.
The concerns come amid Tamil Nadu's high road-crash burden. CAG's presentation cited 67,526 crashes and 18,449 fatalities in the State in 2024, against the national aggregation of 4,87,707 and 1,77,175, respectively. That is 13.8% of crashes and 10.4% of deaths.
Speeding was attributed to 70.7% of crashes and 70.3% of fatalities. Two-wheeler users accounted for 46.2% of those affected and pedestrians 20.6%, including 10,117 children below 18, while 83.3% were aged 18 to 60.
CAG called for a state road safety action plan to offer common guidance and resources while addressing district-specific concerns. The conference brought together officials, police personnel, researchers and specialists to discuss implementing the Tamil Nadu Road Safety Mission.
26,273 drunk-driving cases booked during Oct 2025-Sept 2026
Rs 262.73 cr in fines imposed
Rs 120 cr collected
7,000 signal violations
6,700 mobile phone-use
2,84,123 helmetless rides
67,526 road crashes
18,449 crash fatalities
13.8% of India's road crashes
10.4% of India's road-crash fatalities
70.7% crashes due to speeding
70.3% fatalities due to speeding
46.2% affected were 2-wheeler users
20.6% were pedestrians
10,117 children below 18 recorded among those affected
83.3% belonged to the 18-60 age group
63.9% in rural areas
59% on highways
52% fatalities on highways
Highways account for 5% of the total road network
Coimbatore 3,657
Chennai City 3,654
Chengalpattu 3,402
Tiruppur 3,294
Salem 3,199
Cuddalore 3,121
Madurai 2,660
Thiruvallur 2,624
Villupuram 2,591
Tiruchy 2,426