A surge in traffic fines for seatbelt violations has hit Bengaluru, Mysuru, and other parts of Karnataka, with many drivers claiming wrongful penalties issued by AI surveillance cameras. The new artificial intelligence system used by the traffic department, designed to independently monitor safety compliance, has come under scrutiny.
Several drivers have reported receiving challans despite wearing seatbelts, attributing the errors to the AI cameras’ inability to distinguish between seatbelts and clothing of similar colors. A Facebook user under the profile name siliconcity.bengaluru noted that the cameras might be confusing seatbelts with shirts or coats. Another driver, Prithvi Chandrashekar, shared his own experience with a false seatbelt challan in Mysuru, urging others to check their challans and report discrepancies.
Mysuru Police Commissioner Seema Ladkar acknowledged the issue and stated that efforts are underway to improve the technology, with ADGP Alok Kumar overseeing the enhancements. Bengaluru’s Additional Traffic Commissioner N Anucheth explained that the issue in Bengaluru has been addressed since December 2023. The AI system now requires manual validation of violation images before issuing challans, achieving 99.99% accuracy. Falsely identified images are being corrected, and wrongfully issued challans from December 2022 to November 2023 are being automatically deleted.
For those with wrongly issued challans, they can email automationpubbcp@ksp.gov.in or bangaloretrafficpolice@gmail.com, visit the BTP Traffic Management Centre, or use the KSP app to view and dispute their challans.
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