Dethrone road rajas, traffic police appeal to citizens

Chennai: Unveiling the mystery behind the “Neenga Road Rajava?” (are you the king of the road?) banners and posters that have sprouted across the city over the past two days, the traffic police on Wednesday rolled out an initiative to control wrong-side driving and other violations. From now on, those who spot motorists going in the wrong direction or committing any other traffic offence can post a picture of the offender’s vehicle on social media with the hashtag “Roadraja” and tag the official handle of the Chennai traffic police. Officers said the social media team of police will monitor posts under the hashtag, and action will be taken. On Wednesday, the traffic police released awareness videos directed by filmmaker Vignesh Shivan highlighting the importance of following road rules including avoiding wrong-side driving and stopline violations. Additional commissioner of police (traffic) R Sudhakar, said people resorting to wrong-side driving not only endanger their own lives but also put the lives of others at risk. Police have registered 60,181 cases against those resorting to wrong-side driving last year, he said. The number of fatal deaths in Chennai, which stood at 573, has reduced to 504 in 2023.