Bribe capital of India? Survey finds 6 in 10 Delhi motorists pay off cops to drive free

A recent survey conducted in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Bengaluru found that those in the national capital region are most likely to bribe cops after being apprehended for a traffic violation. The survey conducted by Park+ covered 600 respondents in each of the three cities and found that 64 per cent in Delhi-NCR admitted to paying bribes to cops. This is higher than 61 per cent admitting to the same in Mumbai and 58 per cent in Bengaluru.

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Delhi has one of the highest densities of vehicles for any metropolitan city in the country. But a higher density of vehicles do not – or should not – always translate into higher number of violations of traffic rules. And while Delhi Traffic Police does claim to have a strict policy against erring motorists, many on the capital city’s roads say it is easier to pay a bribe than follow the prescribed processes. In fact, 42 per cent of those who admitted to paying bribes to cops reasoned that it was because they wanted to avoid lengthy legal procedures. Other big reason for paying bribes, it was found, was because it was demanded by traffic police officials.

How much is Delhi-NCR paying in bribes?

The survey further found that around 69 per cent of the bribes paid were under ₹500 while around 28 per cent was in excess of ₹1,000. These figures are mostly similar to those in Mumbai and Bengaluru. In Mumbai, 67 per cent of those who admitted to paying bribes said they paid ₹500 or less while 29 per cent said they paid in excess of ₹1,000. In Bengaluru, of those admitting to paying bribes to traffic cops, 65 per cent paid ₹500 or less while 23 per cent paid more than ₹1,000.

What are the biggest reasons for paying bribes when flagged down?

Of those surveyed in Delhi – and those who admitted to paying bribes to traffic cops, 31 per cent said they were stopped for jumping red signal while 19 per cent said they were stopped for not wearing seatbelts. These two were the most common offences under the traffic rules.

Why resort to bribing?

Motorists who admitted to bribing traffic police officials in all three metropolitan cities cited three main reasons for taking the illegal route – avoiding legal complications, demands made by traffic police officials and fear factor. But what can be done to curb the menace of bribery?

Some key suggestions highlighted by experts in the past are stricter penalties for both offenders and corrupt officials, automated surveillance, AI-driven traffic monitoring to minimise human intervention, and digitization of the entire process to ensure greater transparency. Additionally, public awareness campaigns and whistleblower platforms can empower citizens to report corruption.

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First Published Date: 18 Feb 2025, 16:54 PM IST