Bengaluru traffic camera mistakes guitar case for helmetless passenger

An artificial-intelligence traffic camera in Bengaluru issued a helmet violation notice after apparently mistaking a guitar case for a pillion passenger, prompting traffic police to acknowledge an error in the automated system. Souvik Dutta was travelling alone on a scooter from Hebbal towards Tin Factory with a guitar strapped to his back. The scooter was owned by his wife, who subsequently received a challan and an image captured by the enforcement camera.

The notice alleged that a pillion rider had been travelling without a helmet. Dutta complained through the Bengaluru Traffic Police’s official social-media account and asked for the challan to be withdrawn, arguing that the image showed him riding alone with the instrument on his back. Traffic police officials asked him to contact the traffic automation section so the alleged violation could be examined and corrected.

A senior officer said the incident was a false flag caused by an error in the artificial-intelligence system. According to the officer, similar mistakes can occur occasionally. The system may also identify a small child seated between two people on a scooter as an unhelmeted pillion rider, the officer said.

Such notices can be challenged, after which they are checked and rectified if found to be incorrect. The officer said the technology was not yet completely accurate and became sharper as more data was added. A team had already been assigned to verify wrongly identified violations and update the records, he said.

The case has also drawn wider criticism from motorists on social media. Some alleged that automated cameras had issued notices for signal violations when vehicles crossed a zebra crossing slightly to allow traffic with a green signal to pass. The reported incident has therefore highlighted the need for human verification alongside automated enforcement.