Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 29, 2007
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Online edition of India's National Newspaper Saturday, Sep 29, 2007 ePaper |
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Tamil Nadu
Minor accidents can be avoided if motorists adhere to rules, says L. Srikrishna Gleaming brand-new vehicles, including top-end cars, with dents and scratches on the body are tell-tale signs of the number of minor accidents and impatient motorists in and around the city. Unlike fatal and other major accidents, minor accidents often go unreported as the parties involved opt for a compromise. Such compromise, however, does not take place before a public spat between those driving the vehicles affected traffic on the stretch and incurred the wrath of other road-users. For traffic police personnel, it is a challenge to restore order on the road during such accidents. Two days ago, at about 9 a.m., when a Metropolitan Transport Corporation bus proceeding towards Egmore hit a private car in front of the office of the Commissioner of Police, traffic was thrown out of gear. Least concerned about other road-users, including an ambulance coming behind, drivers of the two vehicles got into a heated argument, blaming each other for the accident. Attempts by a lone traffic policeman to restore order did not bring any relief. Ultimately, police had to tow the vehicles away to give way to other vehicles. Given the increasing number of vehicles and growing impatience of motorists during rush hour, dents — big or small on the front or rear of the automobiles — are a common sight. In case of two-wheelers, the indicator assemblies are the parts that are often damaged in such accidents and are found dangling. Under such circumstances, the traffic police feel that it is time motorists handled their vehicles with care and remained patient on the roads. The need of the hour is to be a responsible driver adhering to rules, the police say. There are also minor accidents in which besides the damage to the vehicle and the injuries, the drivers or riders lose their valuables, especially mobile phones or electronic gadgets. A case in point is a two-wheeler rider, who was thrown off balance after a speeding car brushed him aside near the Adyar bus terminus. In addition to the damage to the turn indicator lights in the bike, he lost his mobile phone. In a sign of growing impatience of motorists, there are also incidents when arguments between drivers of vehicles involved in the accident snowball into a physical exchange of blows. It is in this backdrop that members of voluntary organisations such as Citizen for Safe Roads underscore the importance of car pool wherever it is possible. Like in Mumbai, the traffic police can examine the possibility of prohibiting private vehicles and autorickshaws on select roads. They can also impose higher penalty for vehicles parked in congested areas, they said. Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Sunil Kumar said that on an average, about 10 to 15 cases of minor accidents occurred in the city every day. However, considering the volume of vehicle movement, this number was negligible. With the public transport services being improved, he feels the number of private vehicle on the roads may come down. Once the MRTS services are extended up to Velachery, it could make a considerable difference on several roads.
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