Chennai traffic police have ordered intensified helmet checks, with particular attention to women pillion riders, and authorised personnel to photograph violations and issue e-challans instead of relying only on warnings. The enforcement drive follows the deaths of 25 people riding without helmets in the city between January and June 2026, compared with 21 during the corresponding period last year.
The Greater Chennai Traffic Police have instructed personnel not to make gender-based exceptions when enforcing helmet rules. Police officials said some women pillion riders had resisted wearing helmets because of discomfort, difficulty maintaining hairstyles or the inconvenience of carrying an additional helmet. These reasons will not be treated as grounds for exemption, according to the instructions.
“Wearing a helmet is equally important for riders and pillion riders. There cannot be any gender-based exemption when it comes to road safety. We are registering violations without discrimination and have instructed our personnel to intensify enforcement,” P Pagalavan, joint commissioner of police (traffic), said.
Under the revised enforcement approach, traffic personnel positioned at junctions can use mobile phones to photograph offending vehicles during non-peak hours. The images can be used to initiate action through e-challans, including on roads that already have automatic number plate recognition cameras. The system is intended to reduce the need for officers to stop motorists and engage in arguments while managing traffic.
A senior traffic official said junctions are often managed by a single police officer who must regulate signals and handle traffic movement. Photographing violations allows enforcement to continue even when the officer is occupied with traffic regulation. The instructions cover not only helmets but also motorists crossing stop lines, triple riding on two-wheelers and vehicles displaying defective number plates.
Data released by the GCTP shows that recorded helmet violations have declined over the past three months. Cases involving riders without helmets fell from 41,540 in June to 39,320 in July and 36,850 in August. Violations involving pillion riders without helmets declined from 33,560 in June to 31,430 in July and 28,981 in August.
Despite the decline, riding without a helmet remained the largest category of traffic offence recorded during the three-month period. The fatality figures cited by police also show that the safety concern persists even as enforcement numbers fall. The number of people who died while riding without helmets increased to 25 in the first six months of 2026 from 21 in the same period of 2025.
The GCTP data also recorded a rise in signal-jumping cases. Such violations increased from 16,975 in July to 17,620 in August, marginally higher than the 17,520 cases recorded in June. Police have directed personnel to include these offences in the intensified checks, alongside helmet violations, triple riding and defective number plates.
