Traffic Chief warns drivers against aggression towards cops

Motorists are being urged to remain calm and avoid confrontations with traffic ranks during roadside interactions, as authorities raise concerns over a growing trend of aggressive behaviour by drivers. Traffic Chief, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mahendra Singh made the call during a recent edition of ‘Traffic Watch’, which is aired on another section of the media, warning that hostility towards law enforcement is undermining road safety efforts and due process.
“What we are seeing in the public domain also is that when drivers would have committed themselves in the view of a policeman in the traffic department and he or she is stopped lawfully by that police rank, they seem to want to become aggressive and question the logic when they are already told… what they were stopped for, why they were stopped,” Singh stated. He stressed that motorists have a right to challenge alleged offences, but this must be done through established legal channels rather than roadside disputes. “Herein I’m encouraging a driver when it is said by the police that an offence is committed. You will not comply alone but there is a process or procedure to follow, wherefore you will contest what they are saying,” he explained. Singh cautioned that interactions between drivers and police should not escalate into conflict, emphasising that enforcement is not adversarial.
“It’s not to get into a situation where there will be conflict or it will be you against us or us against you. That’s not necessary,” he said. According to the traffic chief, once an offence is detected, a structured process is followed which allows for fairness and review before any matter reaches the courts. “For it to reach even the court, it has to be taken to a station level, it has to be brought to the attention of the supervisor in charge of the traffic department there, where both parties can be heard,” he noted, adding that the process is not influenced by bias. He further addressed concerns about enforcement consistency, particularly in relation to motor vehicle tint regulations, pointing out that motorists are given opportunities to comply before charges are instituted. “When you stop a driver presently for any motor vehicle and tint after testing is not in keeping with what the regulation… speak to. What next? You have to be charged,” Singh said.
“Though opportunities were given significantly for you to correct the tint… and you have not done anything, you can’t expect… such biases would be exercised now to cause us not to prosecute.” Singh maintained that traffic ranks are guided by the law and are required to act without prejudice, while motorists also retain the right to question enforcement actions through proper channels. “So as much and everything that you do, the police have the right to exercise their judgement based on what is lawful without a bias and the driver must also question the logic as to why he was stopped… Procedures are established to ensure fairness in the process either before trial or at trial in a court of law,” he added. The traffic chief’s remarks come amid ongoing efforts to improve road safety and ensure compliance with traffic laws across the country.