Cuttack, Aug. 18: Police will crackdown on drivers using mobile phones while driving.

At present, though there is a provision of penalty of Rs 500 for using mobile phones while driving, traffic officials have been collecting Rs 100 from such violators.

“There is a provision to penalise violators booked for using mobile phone while driving with Rs 100 under the Motor Vehicles Act, while the fine can extend up to Rs 500 under the Odisha Urban Police Act,” said assistant commissioner of police (traffic) P.K. Dalai.

Dalai said that at present, violators are being fined with Rs 100 for using mobile phone while driving under the Motor Vehicles Act keeping in view the fact that many of them usually express their inability to pay Rs 500.

“A special drive will be launched to put a check on use of mobile phones by two and four-wheeler riders in the city,” said deputy commissioner of police Sanjeev Arora.

A police official said it had been found that many motorists were using hands-free devices such as Bluetooth and earphones while driving. Such drivers will also be penalised.

“We today launched a special drive to create an awareness among drivers to abide by the traffic rules and do not use mobile phones while driving,” said Arora.

Schoolchildren and various NGOs were also roped in today to create awareness about traffic rules and road safety at a special programme organised near Link Road. The awareness drive is likely to continue for a week.

Arora said regular enforcement of traffic rules was on at various prominent junctions while over 200 violators were being penalised on a daily basis and a fine ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 500 was being collected from the violators.

A senior official said that so far, the focus had been given on the traffic violations, including triple riding, driving without wearing seatbelts, riding two-wheelers without helmets and drunken driving, while it had now been decided to initiate stringent action against use of mobile phone while driving.

Especially, youth and teenagers are often found using mobile phones while driving — which can cause accidents.

“The traffic cops need to take stern action against such erring riders as other commuters are also at risk, especially on the national highway or on other major roads in the city,” said Jayant Pradhan, a commuter.

Pradhan said the traffic cops should also explore possibility of harsh punishment for serious traffic offences, which could be a lesson for other motorists on the streets.

“We have already started to create awareness among school students about various traffic rules and ensure that they do not drive vehicles beyond the stipulated engine capacity, without driving licence and do not indulge in rash driving,” said Dalai.