1,000 drivers booked in crackdown on overloaded school vehicles

Bengaluru: In a special drive on Tuesday, the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) booked nearly 1,000 school vehicle drivers found transporting more students than the legally permitted capacity.

Between 2.30 pm and 4.30 pm, the police meticulously inspected 2,050 vehicles responsible for ferrying schoolchildren. The objective was to identify and address any instances where vehicles posed a safety risk by exceeding the prescribed number of passengers.

A total of 994 drivers faced legal action for violating Rule 25(8) of the Karnataka Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, read with Section 177 of the Indian Motor Vehicles Act.

The implicated drivers operated 319 school buses, 122 autorickshaws, 133 Omnis, 332 vans, and 88 other vehicles, including private vehicles.

These violations were based on exceeding the student-carrying capacity specified in the vehicles' registration certificates.

Stressing the importance of following guidelines, the police urged parents, school management boards, school bus operators, van operators, and private vehicles owners to stay informed about the Supreme Court and state government regulations concerning the transportation of schoolchildren.

The police assured the public that similar enforcement drives would be regularly conducted throughout the city to maintain the safety of school-going children.

5 booked for wheelies

In a parallel development, a team from the Rajajinagar traffic police apprehended five people in a special operation on wheelies along the Outer Ring Road, near the Dr Rajkumar Memorial and Laggere bridge on Tuesday.

Among those nabbed, four were minors aged between 15 and 18, while one was aged around 24.

Parents of the minor boys have been booked, and the five two-wheelers involved in the stunts were seized as part of the operation.