KOCHI: The private bus drivers here, whose reckless ways are a major threat to public life and safety, will now face the music since the police have drawn up an action plan to tackle the menace.
According to it, said numerous in cases of accidents resulting in fatalities or injuries, the private bus drivers will face charges of culpable homicide.
City Police Commissioner said numerous complaints of reckless driving by the private bus drivers had been received from the public.
“Many drivers were found using mobile phones while driving. Besides, several of them had failed the alcometer/breathalyser test. It has also come to our notice the drivers unnecessarily use horns and drive with the lights on even during the daytime,creating fear among the public. Stringent action will be taken against such offenders,” he said.
As per the figures available with the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (Natpac), Ernakulam accounted for 6,211 out of the 39,329 road accidents reported in the state in 2016.
The maximum number of accidents reported in the district involved two wheelers and private buses. As per the figures, a total of 4,715 cases involving two wheelers were reported while private buses had been involved in 514 cases.
The main causes of accidents were reckless and drunk driving. There were 5,549 cases of rash driving as against the 46 cases of drunk driving registered in the district.
The buses plying to Aluva, Tripunithura and West Kochi areas like Thoppumpady, Mattancherry and Fort Kochi areas are the main violators of the road rules.
Earlier, the City Traffic Police had conducted a special drive to book the private bus drivers guilty of overspeeding and other violations. In the wake of the drive, there was strict compliance on the part of the private buses.
However, when the drive ended,things were back to square one.