Chennai Traffic Police Propose Driving Licence Cancellation for Repeat Offenders

The Chennai Traffic Police have proposed measures such as cancelling driving licences and seizing vehicles to curb repeated traffic violations. The proposal is currently under discussion with the Tamil Nadu government, as officials face challenges in collecting pending traffic fines.

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 highlighted the difficulties in recovering unpaid fines. She noted that pending fines are often collected only when vehicle owners approach Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) for fitness certificates.

Chennai Records Over 26,000 Drunk-Driving Cases

Between October 2025 and September 2026, Chennai Traffic Police registered 26,273 drunk-driving cases. With a fine of ₹10,000 per case, the total penalties amounted to ₹262.73 crore. However, only ₹120 crore has been collected so far.

During the same period, the police recorded around 7,000 signal-violation cases and 6,700 cases involving mobile phone use while driving. Over-speeding and riding without helmets were also among the major traffic violations reported.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) B. Chamundeswari highlighted the difficulties in enforcing helmet regulations despite awareness campaigns and penalties. The police registered 2,84,123 cases involving riding without helmets over the past year. Officials also noted that only around half of the fines across the cited categories had been paid.

Technology to Improve Traffic Enforcement

Chennai`s Integrated Traffic Management System, implemented under the Smart City project, uses technology to identify traffic violations and manage road movement. Its features include adaptive traffic signals, incident detection, red-light violation detection, speed monitoring, lane violation detection and automatic number-plate recognition cameras.

According to the traffic police, approximately half of the project has been implemented, with the remaining work expected to be completed soon. Officials noted that although technology has made it easier to detect violations, ensuring compliance and collecting fines remain significant challenges.

Tamil Nadu Records 18,449 Road Accident Deaths in 2024

Data presented by CAG at the conference showed that Tamil Nadu recorded 67,526 road crashes and 18,449 fatalities in 2024. These figures accounted for 13.8% of India`s reported road crashes and 10.4% of road accident deaths during the year.

Speeding was attributed to 70.7% of crashes and 70.3% of fatalities. Two-wheeler users accounted for 46.2% of those affected, while pedestrians represented 20.6%. The data also recorded 10,117 children below the age of 18 among those affected. People aged 18 to 60 accounted for 8>83.3% of those involved.

Rural Roads and Highways Account for a Major Share of Crashes

The conference data indicated that 63.9% of road crashes occurred in rural areas. Highways accounted for 59% of crashes and 52% of fatalities, despite representing only 5% of the total road network.

The districts and cities reporting the highest numbers of road crashes included Coimbatore with 3,657 cases, Chennai City with 3,654, Chengalpattu with 3,402, Tiruppur with 3,294 and Salem with 3,199. Cuddalore recorded 3,121 crashes, followed by Madurai with 2,660, Thiruvallur with 2,624, Villupuram with 2,591 and Tiruchy with 2,426.

CAG Calls for a State Road Safety Action Plan

CAG called for a comprehensive state road safety action plan to provide common guidelines and resources while addressing district-specific road safety concerns.

The Tamil Nadu Road Safety Conference 2026 brought together government officials, police personnel, researchers and specialists to discuss measures for implementing the Tamil Nadu Road Safety Mission and improving road safety across the state.