Lahore's Chief Traffic Officer (CTO), Amara Athar, has disclosed that a staggering 180,000 citizens have flouted traffic laws so far this year. In a statement released on Thursday, Athar revealed that 97,729 motorcyclists were ticketed for riding without helmets, while another 166,000 were fined for driving vehicles and motorcycles without licenses. Moreover, authorities cracked down on 449,710 vehicles for infractions such as disregarding lane lines, stop lines, and zebra crossings. Additionally, 87,000 violators were apprehended for lacking or improperly displaying number plates, with 16,310 vehicles penalized for violating one-way regulations.

Further enforcement actions targeted vehicles disrupting traffic flow (60,000), running red signals (22,000), failing to wear seat belts (10,000), using mobile phones while driving (19,000), and engaging in dangerous driving maneuvers (32,000). CTO Amara Athar emphasized that the primary objective of these operations is to uphold traffic laws and ensure orderly traffic flow. She clarified that issuing fines aims to promote citizen compliance rather than generate revenue. Currently, Lahore boasts a population of approximately 1.44 million, served by around 3,000 traffic wardens and 215 senior traffic wardens.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan