Automated traffic enforcement cameras in Delhi generated around 10 challans every minute during the first nine months of this year, with nearly half of the violations being for overspeeding.
Around 79 per cent of notices generated by the cameras issued between 2021 and September 2026 remained unpaid, according to official data. This year, fines were collected for under five per cent of the notices generated by the 404 traffic cameras installed.
The data showed that around 3.26 crore notices were generated by traffic enforcement cameras during the period, of which around 67 lakh, or 21 per cent, were paid, leaving nearly 2.59 crore notices unpaid.
In the six-year period, the highest rate of traffic challans issued per minute was recorded in 2026. Till September 30 this year, Delhi Traffic Police issued around 30.8 lakh on-the-spot challans, while its cameras generated another 40.6 lakh notices, taking the total to around 71.4 lakh, or around 18 challans every minute.
On-the-spot challans issued by the Delhi Traffic Police have risen steadily, from around 13.2 lakh in 2021 to nearly 14.8 lakh in 2022, 17.4 lakh in 2023, 23.5 lakh in 2024 and 38.9 lakh in 2025 — nearly three times the 2021 figure.
Camera-generated notices, however, have declined over the years. They fell from around 66 lakh in 2021 to nearly 59.9 lakh in 2022, 56.7 lakh in 2023, 51.8 lakh in 2024 and 51.6 lakh in 2025. As many as 40.6 lakh notices were generated till September this year.
Overspeeding remains the primary violation detected by the cameras. Such notices peaked at around 35.4 lakh in 2021 before falling to 24.6 lakh in 2024 and rising again to 27.6 lakh in 2025. In 2026, cameras have already recorded around 19.7 lakh cases of overspeeding.
Overspeeding is enforced almost entirely through cameras, with only a handful of on-the-spot challans issued for the offence each year. Just 46 such challans were issued till September this year.
The second most common camera-detected violation is improper parking. Notices for the offence peaked at around 11.1 lakh in 2024 before falling to nearly 7.9 lakh in 2025. In 2026, around 5.5 lakh such notices have been generated so far.
Riding without a helmet is the third most frequent camera-detected offence and the only major camera category to have risen every year. Such notices increased from around 1.8 lakh in 2021 to nearly 5.2 lakh in 2025. The 2026 figure has already crossed the previous year’s total, with around 5.9 lakh notices issued till September.
Red-light jumping notices, meanwhile, fell sharply from around 11.6 lakh in 2021 to nearly 3.8 lakh in 2025, with around 1.9 lakh recorded this year so far. Stop-line violation notices also declined, from around 7.3 lakh in 2021 to nearly 3.8 lakh in 2025.
Among on-the-spot violations, improper or obstructive parking was the most common offence. Challans for it increased from around 4.5 lakh in 2021 to nearly 13.4 lakh in 2025 and stood at around 13.2 lakh till September this year.
Challans for driving without a valid Pollution Under Control certificate rose from around 1.2 lakh in 2021 to a peak of nearly 8.6 lakh in 2025, with around 4.1 lakh issued so far this year.
Similarly, on-the-spot challans for riding without a helmet by the rider or pillion increased from around 1.3 lakh in 2021 to nearly 6.7 lakh in 2025. In 2026, around 5.6 lakh such challans have been issued till September.
Challans for driving without a licence rose from around 80,000 in 2021 to nearly 5.2 lakh in 2025, with around 3.6 lakh issued this year so far.
Those for driving without insurance increased from around 73,000 in 2021 to nearly 4.4 lakh in 2025 and stood at around 2.7 lakh in 2026.
In serious traffic violations, drunk-driving challans increased sharply from around 2,800 in 2021 and 2,300 in 2022 to 16,200 in 2023, 22,700 in 2024 and 25,600 in 2025. The number stood at around 16,900 till September this year.
On-the-spot challans for red-light jumping also nearly tripled, rising from around 44,000 in 2021 to nearly 1.27 lakh in 2025. In 2026, around 1.17 lakh such challans have been issued so far.
Challans for dangerous driving ranged between around 16,500 and 29,300 annually during the period, with around 20,700 issued till September this year. Seat-belt violation challans, however, declined from around 75,000 in 2021 to nearly 52,000 in 2025, with around 33,600 issued in 2026 so far.
Camera-generated notices for not wearing a seat belt have shown the opposite trend. They remained negligible until 2023 but increased to around 1,500 in 2024, over 6,200 in 2025 and around 16,600 in the first nine months of this year.
To deal with serious traffic violations, Delhi Traffic Police impounded around 21,800 vehicles between 2021 and September 2026. The annual figures were around 3,700 in 2021, 2,700 in 2022, 4,100 in 2023, 4,300 in 2024, 3,800 in 2025 and around 3,200 till September this year.
The low fine collection rate of camera-generated notices remains a concern. In 2021, fines for around 26 per cent of such notices were paid, while the figure was around 24 per cent in 2023. The payment rate fell below 15 per cent in 2025 and below five per cent in the first nine months of 2026.
This year, only around 2 lakh of the 40.6 lakh camera-generated notices issued till September have been paid, accounting for less than five per cent of the total.
