Beyond punishment: how traffic fines save lives

It’s time to reframe the narrative on traffic fines. Primarily viewed as a way to punish drivers for breaking the rules, traffic fines are rarely perceived as a crucial element of road injury prevention. Fines, when implemented strategically, act as a powerful deterrent, encouraging safer driving habits and ultimately preventing crashes and reducing injuries and deaths.

When a driver pays a fine for speeding, not clasping a helmet, or driving under the influence of alcohol, it should serve as a wake-up call that their risky and unsafe behaviour could be lethal — for them and for everyone else on the road. Data reveal the horrifying reality of our roads. Over 1.7 lakh lives are lost on Indian roads every year and Karnataka accounted for 12,390 deaths in 2024, according to provisional data of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. While Bengaluru is infamous for traffic congestion, it holds the grim distinction of having the highest number of road deaths and injuries in Karnataka. In 2023, crashes claimed 921 lives in the city, with nearly 60% of the victims being motorcyclists, and 30% pedestrians. In 2024, there was a slight dip in fatalities in Bengaluru — 894; in 2025, the city witnessed 878 deaths on roads but the vulnerable road users remain disproportionately affected.