‘Reel culture’ led to bike stunt incident: B. Shamoondeswari, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic)

Among the Gen Z, ‘reel culture’ is becoming so popular that many are ready to risk their lives under the pretext of taking a video or a photograph, B. Shamoondeswari, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Greater Chennai Traffic Police said here on Friday.

While speaking at the ‘Tamil Nadu Road Safety Conference 2026: From Mission to Action’ organised by the Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG) she highlighted a recent bike stunt incident in the city, in which many youths were involved.

“We took action, secured a lot of people and seized several two-wheelers without number plates. In today’s scenario, everyone watches Instagram. Reels are becoming so common. Whether we dance, sing, travel or cook, anything can be [posted as] reels. The ‘reel culture’ is what has led to last week’s incident– the bike racing or bike stunts,” she said.

She said technological advancements were in place to monitor traffic congestion in the city.

K. Phanindra Reddy, retired IAS officer and chairperson of the Tamil Nadu Real Estate Regulatory Authority (TNRERA) said that nearly 35% of the accidents occured on the State Highways, and 30% on the National Highways. “It is important for these agencies to ascertain the reasons for these accidents, whether they are because of poor design, poor intersections, or unrestricted access at junctions,” he added.

Saroja S., executive director of CAG, said that the announcement of the Tamil Nadu Road Safety Mission by the State government recently is an important step in the right direction to solve the crisis at hand. It also signals the State’s desire to prioritise road safety. 

Venkatesh Balasubramanian, Professor, Head of Centre for Road Excellence, IIT Madras also spoke at the event