The Central Travancore district of Pathanamthitta had recorded a total of 1028 road mishaps, killing as many as 78 persons, in the past nine months.
Police sources told The Hindu on Thursday that as many as 3,132 cases for drunken driving and 856 cases for dangerous driving have been registered during the same period.
This is besides 53,880 cases registered for not wearing protective headgear and failure to fasten seatbelts. Road mishaps claiming lives and physically disabling people have become a regular feature in the district.
Motorcyclists have been the victims in a majority of the cases. According to police sources, as many as 37 persons were injured in the past one month alone in accidents involving two-wheelers in different parts of the district.
In many cases, speeding by KSRTC buses, lorries, motorcycles and autorickshaws was stated to be the cause of accident.
Though the government took measures for speed governors to be attached to all heavy vehicles, there are allegations of laxity on the part of the authorities concerned in enforcing the law. Autorickshaws are found plying on the road without regard to traffic rules and creating hazards by ignoring parking norms.
94 accidents in September
Police sources said a total of 94 road accidents, killing six persons, were reported from different parts of the district in September alone. The police have registered a total of 236 cases for drunken driving and 36 cases for dangerous driving, besides 8,496 petty cases, in September, sources said.
Meanwhile, the traffic awareness programme for school children launched by Kerala Police has been drawing crowds in different parts of the district.
The five-day programme organised at select schools across the district is to conclude at Adoor on Friday. Addressing the inaugural function at Mylapra near here the other day, District Superintendent of Police, K.K. Chellappan, said making school children aware of the traffic rules was the best way to educate the masses.
The programme was held at SCS Higher Secondary School at Tiruvalla on the fourth day on Thursday. ‘Pappu’, the zebra foal adopted by the Traffic Police was the centre of attraction of today’s programme.
A skit, ‘Pappu Urangaatha Paath’, conceived by the Inspector General of Police(Traffic), B.Sandhya, featuring `Pappu’ was staged by a team of artists attached to Traffic Police. The programme was staged at Mallappally too, in the afternoon.
The five-day traffic awareness programme in the district will conclude with the staging of the skit at Adoor and Pandalam on Friday.
