THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Four-wheelers, transport vehicles and even goods carriers can zip along faster on national and state highways in Kerala from next month as the LDF government has decided to revise the speed limits on various roads in the state after installing the artificial intelligence (AI) cameras.
However, as two-wheelers account for the majority of road accidents in the state, the government has decided to reduce their maximum speed limit from 70 kilometres per hour (kmph) to 60 kmph, a press release issued by the Transport Department has said.
The maximum speed limit for three-wheelers and school buses will remain at the existing 50 kmph.
The decision was taken in a high-level meeting chaired by State Transport Minister Antony Raju, the release said.
"It was decided to redefine the speed limit after the AI cameras were made operational in the state. The current speed limit in the state was set in 2014," Raju is quoted as having said in the release.
The new speed limits will come into effect from July 1, it said.
According to the revised speed limits, four-wheelers with a seating capacity of up to 9 can run at 110 kmph on six-lane national highways and at 100 kmph on four-lane national highways, it said.
Earlier, the maximum speed limit for four-wheelers on four-lane national highways in the state was 90 kmph, it said.
The speed limits on other highways, M C Road and four-lane state roads for four-wheelers have been increased from 85 kmph to 90 kmph, while there is no change in the speed limits on other state roads, main district roads and city roads, the statement said.
The speed limits for light, medium and heavy vehicles with above nine seating capacities on national highways, M C Road, four-lane and other state roads, main district roads and other roads have also been increased by 10 to 20 kmph, according to figures cited in the statement.
Similarly, the speed limits for light, medium and heavy category goods vehicles have also been increased on national highways, four-lane and other state roads and major district roads by 5-10 kmph, the statement said.