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Saturday, Jul 07, 2007
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Online edition of India's National Newspaper Saturday, Jul 07, 2007 ePaper |
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Tamil Nadu
Driving licence norms need to be tightened, says S. Vijay Kumar
DRIVING DANGEROUSLY: An autorickshaw driver accommodating a student on the front seat of the vehicle in Madurai. —
At least 400 people are killed and hundreds injured in road accidents in Madurai city and district every year. This figure is steadily on the rise even as law enforcing agencies claim to be trying their best to minimise accidents through various measures. The multiplication of automobiles, increase in encroachments and poor condition of roads are cited to be among the prominent reasons for the rise in accident rate though negligent and rash driving is always the major cont ributor. In recent weeks, Maduraites have seen schoolchildren, college students and office-goers dying on the roads. In a few cases, locals expressed their resentment. On the Tirupparankundram Road last week, two teenagers, both sisters, were crushed under the wheels of a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation bus. The mother of the victims was witness to the gory accident, that killed the girls on the spot. The locals resorted to a road blockade demanding a speed-breaker in the area. A speed-breaker was laid within hours at the scene of accident. A building contractor who rode that way on a two-wheeler the next day lost balance while negotiating the new speed-breaker and fell under a lorry. He too was killed on the spot. Police say that the victim was speaking over his mobile phone while riding. Going by official statistics, 427 people died in road accidents in 2005 while it rose to 460 in 2006. This year 246 people have died till June. “A majority of the accidents involve two-wheelers. Our prime concern is to improve the driving skills of motorcyclists though they have a valid licence. Poor driving skills often result in fatal accidents. We have to tighten the norms with regard to issue of driving licence,” says the Assistant Commissioner of Police Traffic (North), N. Sivanandam. According to him, enforcing traffic rules and Motor Vehicles Act alone is not sufficient to bring down the accident rate. “Road users have to cooperate by realising that rash and negligent driving will not only put their lives at risk but also that of others. A drive against drunken driving, over-speeding and dazzling headlights will be launched soon,” Mr. Sivanandam added. On the southern part of the city, road users say that the haphazard movement of tri-cycles, load vans and lorries often cause congestion and accidents. The lorry sheds should be shifted to the city outskirts from the Veli and Marret Streets which will automatically curb the movement of load carrying vehicles, they added.
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