Experts moot safety measures to bring down tanker accidents

Anti-lock Breaking System to be be made mandatory for gas tankers. The proposal was mooted in 2006.

Bad roads and stressed drivers are playing villain in tanker lorry accidents in Kerala, according to safety experts.

There have been 16 accidents involving tanker lorries in the State this year and luckily none of them proved fatal. No lives were lost due to fire or explosion from the petroleum products that were transported in these vehicles, said Sekhar L. Kuriakose, Head, Hazard Vulnerability Risk Assessment Cell of the Institute of Land and Disaster Management.

Risky curvature

Many petroleum companies have complained of the risky curvature of the roads in some parts of the State. Risky riding by stressed drivers of tanker lorries and other vehicles too are adding to the accidents, he said.

The public sector companies have agreed to put two drivers in every tanker lorry operated by them, which is expected to reduce the pressure on drivers and the number of accidents. The new system was expected to come into effect from November 1, he said.

GPS project

GPS tracking of the vehicles have also been suggested. The Motor Vehicle Department was allotted Rs.24 lakh for the GPS tracking project. The tanker lorries owned and operated by the private sector will also be brought under the scheme to reduce the accidents. Regulating the speed of these heavy vehicles was one suggestion that had been forwarded for consideration, he said.

Emergency Response Vehicle

The public sector petroleum companies have also agreed to procure three more Emergency Response Vehicles. The one that has been procured by them is stationed at Kochi. The drivers had been trained in emergency response measures, he said.

ABS

The Indian Oil Corporation authorities said they were contemplating to introduce more safety mechanism in vehicles, including Anti-lock Breaking System (ABS), in tanker lorries in view of the recurring accidents involving gas tankers.

The ABS will be made mandatory for gas tankers in a couple of months though the proposal was mooted way back in 2006. This was significant given the condition of roads across the State, which at several points were too narrow to transport hazardous products, including LPG, said a top IOC official.

The proposal would be finalised in two months and incorporated in the tenders to be called thereafter, he said.