Hyderabad Police have directed traffic officials to trace an autorickshaw driver who was allegedly watching a film on one mobile phone, using another for navigation and wearing headphones while driving, prompting a renewed warning to passengers about distracted driving and the use of emergency helpline 112.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar shared a video of the incident on X on October 14 and instructed the Hyderabad Traffic Police to identify the driver and initiate stringent legal action in accordance with the law. The autorickshaw shown in the video bears registration number TG15U2657.
According to the report, one phone placed in front of the driver displayed navigation directions while a second phone was playing a movie. The driver was also seen wearing large headphones with illuminated features. The video was brought to the Commissioner’s attention through social media before he directed the traffic police to act.
The incident has highlighted a road-safety risk that extends beyond the individual driver. A driver looking at a screen can lose visual attention from traffic, pedestrians and road signals, while headphones or earbuds can reduce awareness of horns, sirens and other sounds around the vehicle. In an autorickshaw, the behaviour also directly affects passengers who may have limited control over the journey once it is underway.
Mr. Sajjanar warned that using mobile phones, headphones or earbuds while driving posed a serious threat regardless of the vehicle type. His warning covered two-wheelers, cars, autorickshaws, buses and lorries, indicating that the enforcement concern is not limited to commercial passenger vehicles.
The Commissioner also asked passengers to remain alert during journeys and to speak up if they see a driver using a mobile phone or wearing headphones while driving. If the driver does not respond to a request to stop, passengers have been advised to call 112 and inform the police.
The instruction places passengers within the road-safety reporting chain, but it does not replace the responsibility of enforcement agencies to identify dangerous driving through traffic policing and other available channels. In this case, the vehicle registration number was visible in the video shared with the Commissioner, giving the traffic police a specific lead for tracing the driver.
The police response and any legal action against the driver will determine the next stage of the case. Hyderabad Traffic Police have been instructed to identify the driver of autorickshaw TG15U2657 and proceed under the applicable law.
