Kozhikode’s New Idea To Prevent Road Accidents? A Yellow Square With a Red Spot!

According to a 2016 report by National Crime Research Bureau (NCRB), more than 90 percent of fatal road accidents in the year were found to have occurred due to negligent driving.

While the necessity of following road etiquettes and practising safe driving for one’s own sake is imperative, more often than not it is the lives of innocent bystanders that are lost due to rash driving.

To encourage safe driving by citizens and keep a check on road accidents, the traffic police in Kozhikode have kickstarted a novel mission that highlights the dark consequences of rash driving through a symbolic representation at accident sites.

By highlighting every fatal accident spot with a square yellow patch with a red splotch in the center, the objective of the mission is to enforce the concept of safe driving by reminding drivers – they too may end up as another blotch on the road.

Besides the marking, the cops deployed at these junctions are making traffic offenders pledge an oath that they would follow road rules without fail hereafter.

“It was Circle Inspector Sreejith T.P who came up with the unconventional concept almost a fortnight ago after observing that the number of road accident deaths in the city had hit an all-time high last year,” a civil police officer stationed at Kozhikode City Traffic unit told The Better India.

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In 2017, about 168 accident sites were documented across the city, where some 184 individuals – including 108 riders and 53 pedestrians – lost their lives. Each of these sites will have the yellow signs painted on the road, which will be quite noticeable by any person driving on these roads.

Starting the project from Moozhikkal Bridge on January 22, where a family of three had lost their lives in a collision between a tourist bus and a motorcycle, the labourers commissioned by the city traffic police painted the 100th spot in front of Salkara Hotel, East Nadakkavu on Thursday morning.

The marking at the 100th accident spot found an attendance from District Police Chief S Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar, Traffic Assistant Commissioner (North) P.K. Raju, Assistant Commissioner of Traffic Police (North) M.C. Devassia along with CI Sreejith T.P. Traffic violators who were caught during this time were made to repeat the oath after commissioner Raju.

“The project is almost reaching its culmination which most of the accident sites having given the special marking. We hope that these markings will not just help raise awareness amidst drivers but also prompt them to ride responsibly,” the officer added.

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