In a stark revelation of road discipline, riders without helmets on two-wheelers constituted nearly half of all traffic fines issued in Noida during 2025. The Noida Traffic Police's annual enforcement data paints a detailed picture of compliance and recurring violations on the city's roads.
The Dominance of Helmet Violations
The total number of challans crossed 28.9 lakh for the year 2025. Out of this massive figure, a staggering over 14 lakh challans were issued specifically to two-wheeler riders for not wearing helmets. This means helmetless riding alone accounted for approximately 50% of all penalties. While this number is alarmingly high, it does show a marginal decrease from the over 17 lakh such challans recorded in 2024.
Following this primary offence, violations for no-parking stood at 2.7 lakh and wrong-side driving at 2.2 lakh. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Pravin Ranjan Singh attributed the slight reduction in helmet and seatbelt violations to sustained efforts. He stated that due to year-round enforcement and awareness programs in schools and residential societies, these specific challans saw a decline in 2025.
Rising Trends in Dangerous Offences
Despite the dip in some areas, the data signals worrying growth in several high-risk violation categories. Compared to 2024, cases of wrong-side driving increased from 1.7 lakh to 2.2 lakh. Similarly, red-signal jumping rose from 1.09 lakh to 1.19 lakh, and speeding cases went up from 86,890 to 99,292. Even more concerning, drunken driving cases increased from 532 to 609.
The police also took stringent action against vehicular pollution, especially under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). Challans for pollution violations skyrocketed to 1.2 lakh in 2025 from 48,082 in the previous year. The force also began recording new categories of violations, issuing penalties for the use of hooters or sirens (4,094), unauthorised use of stickers or flags (13,380), and lane-change violations (50,262).
Vehicle-Wise Breakdown and Recovery Challenges
A category-wise analysis reveals that 17.6 lakh two-wheelers were fined, forming the bulk of offenders. They were followed by 8.9 lakh four-wheelers, 88,360 heavy vehicles, 78,872 autos, and 69,852 e-rickshaws. The police also seized 13,014 vehicles during the year.
However, Shreya Sharma, a traffic volunteer and resident of Sector 75, highlighted a critical systemic issue. She pointed out that while enforcement drives are active, the recovery system for fines remains weak. Many violators simply do not pay their challans, leading to cases being referred to court. These are often settled later in Lok Adalats, held every three months, with nominal fines. Sharma also emphasized the need for a change in public mindset, noting that many offenders offer flimsy excuses for not wearing helmets or try to speed away defiantly.
Looking ahead to 2026, DCP Singh affirmed that the traffic police will continue dual efforts: spreading awareness about traffic rules and conducting rigorous enforcement drives to curb violations and prevent road accidents. The data from 2025 serves as a crucial benchmark for these ongoing public safety campaigns.
