A day after a 14-year-old boy died in Pallavaram, when the private van he was travelling in toppled on the road, the police are yet to nab the driver who is suspected to have been speeding.
At least two such incidents have taken place over the past 10 months.
On January 2, a day after a road safety week campaign was launched, a private van transporting children from different schools turned turtle in Tambaram, causing minor injuries to some of them.
On Thursday morning, a private van transporting students on GST Road did not have an attendant, while its driver was speaking on the cellphone while driving.
Auto driver Mohammed Siddique, a parent, welcomed the traffic police’s move to place barricades and steel drums with reflective stickers on arterial roads to prevent speeding and rash driving.
But he felt the awareness drives did not address the target group.
“Rallies and other activities are organised and pamphlets are distributed to motorists, but drivers of light commercial and heavy vehicles never come under the scanner,” Mr. Siddique said.
Private vehicles engaged by schools, especially vans, are often found flouting norms.
They do not even have a ‘school van’ board displayed prominently on the vehicle, said a resident of Pallavaram who sends his children to school by a private van.
Some schools disown their responsibility in the event of accidents, he said.
