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If you have ever grumbled about rash driving on roads or been a victim of road rage or seen a bike jumping signals, you can now do more than grumbling. Roads are going to become safer for the Transport Department of Andhra Pradesh Government has launched a new helpline number. This helpline can be used by anyone on the road who wishes to report a traffic violation by taking a photo of the offender and sending it on the Whatsapp helpline number- 9542800800.
The helpline was launched by the Minister of Transport Perni Venkataramaiah in Vijayawada this Wednesday, as part of the ‘citizen-driven enforcement of road safety’ initiative. Venkataramaiah stated that public participation is mandatory for this traffic police initiative to be a success and encouraged the citizens to make good use of the Whatsapp helpline. He highlighted how traffic rules are disregarded by people on a regular basis and this initiative should regulate that to a great extent.
Other than road accidents, the traffic violations that can be reported on the Whatsapp helpline number include riding without wearing a helmet, talking on the phone while driving and driving in the wrong direction. People can also report overcrowding vehicles and transportation of goods without tarpaulin cover.
The Transport Department has assured that the senders’ identities won’t be revealed. The complaints will be verified by the officials, e-challans prepared and penalties will be levied on the offenders.
Venkataramaiah said that the existence of a Whatsapp helpline is bound to make people think thrice before violating traffic rules. Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram had set up similar helplines earlier this year which are run by local police authorities. Greater Chennai Traffic Police (GCTP) had launched an app in June for the same purpose.
The state of Andhra Pradesh, especially cities like Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam, has witnessed a rise in the number of road accidents in the past few years. This Whatsapp helpline should be able to curb such accidents and help the traffic police in better-enforcing traffic rules and in time, make the roads safer for people.
So, save the number ‘9542800800’ on your phones for it will come in handy.
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