A Right to Information (RTI) investigation in India uncovered a massive number of wrongful penalties issued to vehicles, mostly cars, driving in the correct lane but flagged for "driving against traffic". Approximately 124 million rupees (over 1.4 million USD) in fines were issued despite no actual violations.
The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) revealed the errors stemmed from the camera-based automated surveillance system deployed to detect lane violations. Vehicles traveling in the correct direction were photographed and wrongly penalized, causing confusion and outrage.
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Cars on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Photo: TOI |
Cars on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Photo: TOI
The Mumbai-Pune Expressway, with a 100 km/h speed limit and heavy weekend traffic, employs an automated enforcement system to enhance road safety and deter dangerous driving. However, the system's failure to differentiate between actual wrong-way driving and regular traffic flow has led to significant consequences.
Experts suspect incorrectly positioned cameras or faulty software configuration. Cameras intended to capture wrong-way drivers instead photographed vehicles in legal lanes due to camera angles or a lack of GPS cross-verification. The automated processing of these images without manual checks compounded the issue, resulting in widespread erroneous penalties.
Many vehicle owners received fines without clear explanations. Violation notices arrived weeks later with no details about the location, time, or nature of the alleged infraction. The difficulty of contesting the tickets and the lack of a clear resolution process led many to pay the fines to avoid further delays, inadvertently supporting a flawed enforcement process.
The scale of the error raises questions about oversight and accountability. Over 600,000 vehicles penalized in 15 months equates to nearly 1,300 incorrect tickets daily, yet no corrective action was taken until the issue was publicly raised.
Following the investigation's revelations and public outcry, the MSRDC implemented corrective measures, including adjusting camera angles and reviewing the enforcement software. Authorities have also stated they will consider refunds for wrongly penalized drivers, though no timeline has been given.
Drivers on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway now question whether future penalties will be for actions they never committed. The larger question for policymakers is whether road safety and public trust can coexist when technology becomes the judge.
My Anh (via Cartoq)
