All police officers should obey traffic rules and be a role model for others, State Police Chief (SPC) T.P. Senkumar has said.
In a directive issued on Wednesday, he said police vehicles should not move in violation of traffic signals. At locations where traffic was controlled manually, policemen need not clear the way for the vehicles of senior officers by blocking oncoming vehicles. This often created confusion in drivers and caused accidents. Except during emergency situations, all police vehicles should wait in queue at traffic signal junctions, he said.
Undue preference to police officers on the roads was sending across the wrong message to the masses. It was high time that this was corrected, he said asking traffic officers not to give any preference to police vehicles.
VIP movement
Vehicles carrying VIPs may be allowed to bypass traffic signal junctions if their itinerary was passed on to the traffic control rooms of the respective areas in advance, Mr. Senkumar said.
All police vehicles should abide by the rules with regard to parking, overtaking, and use of horns. If people knew that police officers were abiding by traffic rules that would motivate them to follow suit, he said.
In a separate circular issued on the same day, Mr. Senkumar said the trend of driving close to the median should be discouraged as this promoted overtaking through the left. Such overtaking had become rampant along four-lane routes. Therefore, keep-left signboards should be prominently displayed along such roads, the circular said.
Be role models for others, officers told
‘Rule violations not to be allowed’
