Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Night-time accidents on the rise

NIGHT-TIME ACCIDENTS in the district have been on the rise. Speeding and drunken driving have been identified as the main causes by the police. In 2003, as many as 1,960 accidents were reported in the city. During the same year, 2,938 accidents were reported in the rural suburbs of the district. According to traffic officials, a large number of these accidents had occurred during night or in the early hours.

The police say that most of the accidents in the early hours involved vehicles ferrying perishable goods such as fish and vegetables. Wrong overtaking, aggressive driving and driver fatigue have been identified as some of the accident-causing factors.

The failure to highlight speed-breakers with reflective paint has also been cited as a cause for several accidents. Absence of night safety devices such as cat's eye reflectors and ill-lit junctions have also resulted in vehicle accidents. Traffic experts point out that along many key stretches, the aluminium reflectors placed in the middle of the road to demarcate the carriageways have been buried under tar during resurfacing of the road.

A road user satisfaction survey conducted by the Kerala Public Works Department in 2003 pointed out that night-time parking of vehicles along the roadside was a major reason for accidents on the State Highways.

Absence of road signs, poor road condition, lack of awareness on road safety norms and reckless driving were identified as the other reasons. Traffic enforcers point out that the night-time movement of cattle through the Pappanamcode-Karamana corridor has led to several accidents along the stretch.

The lack of sufficient number of men forces the city police to scale down traffic enforcement after 8 p.m. After 9 p.m, one-way violations are rampant in the city. Large vehicles, including tourist buses, rarely observe the simple road safety measure of dipping headlights for vehicles coming from the opposite side. It is not uncommon among motorists to engage additional headlights and fog lamps at night.

Police officials point out that in a large section of vehicles, particularly buses and lorries, night-time traffic safety devices such as reflectors, rear-lamps and brake lights are not in working order.

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