KOCHI: The rapid increase in the accidents related to road rage had prompted the High Court to seek a report on the measures that are to be adopted to curb the menace. Kochi Range IG M R Ajith Kumar has filed a report before the High Court that has recommendations to effectively address the ‘red rage’ issues in the city.
The IG’s report suggested that a model project providing refresher training for drivers, which is being carried out in Malappuram district by the Institute of Driver Training and Research, can be tried out in Kochi city also. The Institute is conducting refresher training programmes for drivers of light motor vehicles, soft skill development programmes for drivers and crash prevention courses.
The State Transport Authority has decided to implement the proposal for making the training a mandatory condition for the renewal of stage carriage permit. The condition is that the driver of the vehicle should have undergone training imparted by the Institute of Drivers Training and Research, Edappal, Malappuram. The secretary, STA will direct all Regional Transport Authorities to make it mandatory to incorporate the condition into the bylaw. If all the drivers and other staff are mandatorily made to go through such training, their antecedents also can be verified through police department and this will go a long way in eliminating unwanted elements from the public service system.
The report also suggests installation of GPS and cameras inside every bus. Introduction of RFID bus tracking system will also help in solving the time and route compliance by the buses. An RFID tag with a unique serial number will be programmed in the software and will be attached to the windshield of each bus. RFID reader with GPS interface will be installed at all the check points.
One reader will be assigned for reading the bus moving to one direction and another reader for the bus moving to the other direction. Reader will be programmed to send the bus tag id to the remote server automatically through the GPS network. When a bus fixed with RFID tag passes through the punching station, the reader will automatically read the serial number of the tag. This number will be send to the remote server by the reader and the software running in the server will verify the serial number and the passing time will be recorded in the database and also all the reports will be available at the RTO Office through Internet.
The use of GPS (Global Positioning Systems) is the fastest and most accurate way of obtaining reliable data on the locations, IG stated. The GPS data will be useful for road safety analyses like road accident locations and accident black spots. This will also help the Motor Vehicle Department and operators to tag the movement of bus with proof which will help in analysing and providing solutions and enforcement of permit conditions.
Presence of cameras will go a long way in ensuring proper behaviour by the staff. This will also help in ensuring safety of women and children and reducing the allegations raised by student community.