Surveillance cameras placed on the road are often used by the police to keep an eye on people who violate rules on the road. The Kerala state government installed AI cameras earlier this year in various parts of the state to reduce the number of violations. This system has been criticized by many ever since its implementation. While most road users have started following the rules, there are still many who take things lightly. Here, we have a report of one such biker from Kerala who was fined Rs 86,500 for 155 violations on the road.
The report comes from Kerala’s Kannur district, and the incident happened in Kannur’s Matool region. The AI camera installed in Matool had captured the biker for riding a motorcycle without a helmet. The biker actually made it a habit and did this almost 155 times.
When the Motor Vehicle Department noticed this, they issued a challan and took it to the residence of the biker to hand it over. The biker was actually surprised after seeing a fine of Rs 86,500. This is probably the highest fine issued by an AI camera in the state.
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The biker not only rode the bike without a helmet, but also mocked the camera several times. This is a clear indication that the rider was aware of the camera in his area. According to the report, the Motor Vehicle Department did send several messages and notices to the address of the biker to follow the rules and not repeat the violations. However, the biker ignored them all and continued to violate the rules. As of now, the Motor Vehicle Department has recorded 155 such violations from the rider on the same AI camera.
When the Motor Vehicle Department noticed that the rider was continuing to commit such offenses, the officers decided to visit the biker’s residence and hand over the challan to him. When the biker saw the amount, he was surprised and started requesting the officers to cancel the challan. He also mentioned that he can’t arrange the fine amount even if he decides to sell the bike. The officers told him that things are out of their hands, and they cannot do anything about it.
In addition to issuing the challan, the MVD officers also suspended the rider’s driving license for a year. The Kerala Government decided to install Artificial Intelligence cameras on National and State Highways across the state as part of the Safe Kerala Project. The main aim of this project was to reduce the number of road accidents and violations. As part of this project, a total of 726 AI cameras were installed across the state. The government has invested around 232 crores in this project. After the installation of the cameras, there has been a drop in the number of road accidents in Kerala, according to the Minister. The camera can automatically detect several violations and issue a challan automatically. Riding a two-wheeler without a helmet results in a fine of Rs. 500, while carrying three people on a two-wheeler incurs a fine of Rs. 1,000. Using a mobile phone while driving or riding incurs a fine of Rs. 2,000.
