Traffic violations involving two-wheelers on Christmas night almost tripled this year compared to the number of violations reported last year.
Almost 300 motorcyclists and scooterists were prosecuted on Christmas night for riding without helmets and for riding with pillion riders without helmets, officers of the city police said.
On Christmas night last year, a little more than 100 two-wheeler-riders were prosecuted.
A motorcyclist who was allegedly not wearing a helmet died in a road crash on Tuesday morning at the Dorina crossing. He lost balance and rammed into the median divider in front of the Esplanade Metro station gate, police said.
The police identified the deceased motorcyclist as Rahul Kumar Tiwari, 31, a resident of Howrah.
Cops said he was riding without a helmet and apparently lost balance and rammed into the median divider at the crossing of Jawaharlal Nehru Road, in front of the Metro station, around 3am on Tuesday. He was taken to SSKM Hospital, where he was declared dead.
At least two more road crashes involving two-wheelers were reported on Christmas and Tuesday morning. “A motorcyclist and a pillion-rider, both without helmets, were critically injured in separate accidents,” an officer said.
A 22-year-old motorcyclist allegedly lost balance and crashed into the median divider on Raja SC Mullick Road at the Sulekha crossing early on Tuesday. Pintu Yadav, a resident of Survey Park, has been admitted to the NRS Medical College and Hospital.
The third crash happened on EM Bypass on Christmas afternoon. Rajat Basu, a resident of Panchannagram at Tiljala, off the Bypass, was riding pillion on a two-wheeler, allegedly without a helmet, when he was hit by a truck.
Basu, 26, has been admitted to a private hospital. The man who was driving the motorcycle escaped unhurt, the police said.
According to records of Kolkata traffic police, as many as 199 two-wheeler-riders were prosecuted for riding without helmets and 92 pillion-riders for the same offence on Christmas in Kolkata.
Last year, the same day, the police had prosecuted 66 two-wheeler-riders and 42 pillion-riders for riding without helmets.
“After pedestrians, two- wheeler-riders and pillion-riders are most vulnerable to road crashes,” said an officer of the traffic department.
Officers said the number of motorists prosecuted for drink driving on Christmas remained almost the same as last year. “Last year, 109 motorists had been prosecuted for drink driving on Christmas. This year the figure is 103,” an officer said.
Bidhannagar police arrested 50 persons for disorderly conducts and traffic offences on Christmas. The police said most of the people arrested on Christmas night were picked up from Salt Lake, Baguiati, Kestopur, New Town and Rajarhat, among other places.
Cases have been started against nine persons for various offences, including stopping or preventing a public servant from discharging duty, a senior officer of the Bidhannagar commissionerate said.
Another officer of the commissionerate said many people were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.