The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Accidents involving heavy vehicles up

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 26, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Accidents involving heavy vehicles up

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, JULY 25. The increasing number of deaths due to road accidents caused by rashly driven heavy vehicles, including buses, Metrowater and private water tankers, tipper and container lorries, was a major concern voiced during a meeting organised by the Chennai Traffic Task Force here yesterday.

According to the traffic police, heavy vehicles were involved in 529 out of the 2,363 accidents that have occurred till June 30 this year. During the corresponding period last year, the number was 402.

The increase in number of accidents was despite the fact that heavy vehicles constitute a small percentage of the total vehicle population.

Need healthy drivers

G.U.G. Sastry, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), said it was unfortunate that vehicle-owners did not ensure that only healthy and well-trained drivers were recruited. During a recent medical camp conducted by the Traffic Police, 2,000 lorry drivers were checked and more than 100 of them suffered from poor vision.

The owners should also ensure that spurious spare parts are not used, he said.

The City Police Commissioner, K. Natarajan, said though heavy vehicles were most essential for transporting cargo, they accounted for a large number of accidents.

R. Sugumar, president of The Tamil Nadu Edible Oil Tank Lorry Owners' Welfare Association, said the movement of heavy vehicles, except water tankers and those on emergency duty, was banned during daytime. As a result, there is a sudden increase in the tipper and container lorry traffic after 11 p.m. This, he said, was the most important cause for the increasing number of accidents involving heavy vehicles.

If the ban is relaxed at least for two hour during peak hours, the movement of these vehicles during the late night hours could be eased, he said.

Man killed

A 25-year-old motorcyclist was killed on the spot after his vehicle was involved in an accident with a water tanker at Guindy here today.

The police said Mohammed Ali, an employee of a private hospital, was going from Halda junction to Chinnamalai when his vehicle skidded after hitting some loose sand on the road left over from a construction work around 11.45 a.m.

According to the Guindy traffic police, a borewell was being sunk near the central median to water ornamental plants planted on it. A warning board was also erected near the spot to alert motorists. However, the motorcyclist lost control of his vehicle and fell on the road and was run over by the water tanker coming from behind. The driver fled the scene.

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