The failure of the Motor Vehicle Department in enforcing the road laws strictly has been blamed for the accident that claimed nine lives and injured many others on the National Highway 544 at Anjumoorthy Mangalam near Vadakkanchery in the district on Wednesday night.
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With the completion of the NH 544 at Vadakkanchery, the speed of the vehicles increased in the stretch between Palakkad and Thrissur. Although the MV Department has installed cameras at several points between Vadakkanchery and Walayar, many of them have been faulty.
Although there were night patrols by the MVD officials on the highway, that too was stopped in recent months. The Department is facing criticism for its lackadaisical attitude, especially as the State’s most gruesome accidents were found to have taken place at night.
Last year, as many as 2,611 people had died from 2,490 accidents in the State. Out of them, as many as 1,244 had been killed in the 1,187 accidents that took place after midnight. When 115 people were killed in 108 accidents caused by private buses, 62 were killed in 60 accidents involving KSRTC buses.
According to MV Department, drivers’ drowsiness has been a main reason for most accidents taking place after midnight. Apart from MVD officers, volunteer groups too had joined the awareness drive on the roads a few years ago. However, a two-year break brought about by COVID-19 threw all precautions to the winds.