Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

Two-wheelers to come with safety package

By S. Vijay Kumar

MADURAI, MAY 30 . In an initiative to curb road accidents and vehicle thefts, the city police have hit upon the idea of making two-wheeler purchase come with a safety package.

After an elaborate presentation to automobile dealers on deaths/injuries caused by road mishaps in the city, the former Commissioner of Police, Abhash Kumar, prevailed upon them to strike a safety package deal with customers.

The idea is to provide a helmet, an advanced locking arrangement and a burglary alarm, along with every new two-wheeler.

The cost of the accessories, however, would have to be borne by the buyer. "When two-wheelers cost, on average, Rs. 40,000, an additional expenditure of over Rs. 1,000 should not be a burden, considering the safety of the vehicle and the user," Mr. Abhash Kumar, told The Hindu .

The automobile dealers agreed in principle to implement the scheme, in the interests of road-users. "Since the response may not be encouraging if one dealer introduces the package, we have requested all dealers to launch the system simultaneously."

The dealers have been requested to have minimum or even zero profit on the safety accessories, since the gesture is meant to promote a social cause. The different kinds of burglary alarms and advanced locking systems would go a long way in preventing vehicle thefts. "Even if a vehicle is stolen, there are radar censors which can trace its location. The number of fatal accidents involving two-wheelers will also come down, as 90 per cent of the deaths in accidents occur because of head injuries," Mr. Abhash Kumar said.

The response from the dealers appears encouraging. "This is a novel idea which will yield the desired results if implemented effectively. Most of the dealers have agreed to give a serious thought to it. We are planning to introduce the package at the earliest," S. Vijayan, Manager, Sathyajyothi Motors Private Limited, said.

Mr. Abhash Kumar has formed a `traffic advisory committee' that will meet every month to discuss the problems and draft remedial measures. All control room vehicles have been provided with siren and public address systems. The time for the police to reach the scene of emergency has been fixed at six minutes. In a couple of mock drills organised by the former Commissioner, a Sub-Inspector reached the spot in three minutes, while others took less than seven minutes.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

• Two-wheelers to come with safety package
• Govt. urged to permit toddy tapping
• Lawyers' plea to President
• Around the City
• In Madurai Today

Copyright © 2004, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu