KOCHI: Expressing concern over the delay in putting in place adequate mechanism to ensure road safety, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday said it could not allow children and women to fall prey to buses, get run over by their wheels and die. “Why would we want to do that? Come up with something,” the court orally observed.
“Some action will have to be taken. Everything is being taken lightly, and corrective measures are not being taken,” the court observed.
The court made the remarks while considering a case initiated suo motu on road safety matters.
Stating that people were driving vehicles at speeds of up to 220 kmph, the court stressed the need for a mechanism to inform motorists of the maximum permissible speed in a particular area — be it 120, 80 or 70 kmph. “If, at night, a car like a Porsche or Ferrari, or whatever car, is driven at breakneck speed, it should be identified. Within two days, we should be able to inform the appropriate authority as well as the vehicle owner about the violation,” the court said.
The mechanism should also issue a warning that repeated violations could result in the cancellation of the driving licence or other action against the vehicle owner, it said. The court said the state needed a platform similar to an ‘Integrated Road Safety Monitoring Platform’.
“If you somehow or the other bring out this platform, then it’ll be a one-stop shop,” it said.
Discussions on to ensure road safety: Govt
The state government submitted that the police, public works and transport departments were holding discussions to address road safety concerns. Seventeen issues have been identified, including road maintenance, speeding, electronic enforcement, lane discipline, traffic signs, overloading, public transport, road widening and the identification of accident-prone areas, the government said.
The joint transport commissioner, in an affidavit, detailed the measures taken to ensure road safety. Regarding structural reforms, public transport safety and private bus operations, the department proposed introducing a digital platform called ‘Kerala Bus’.
integrated platform
The court said the development of an integrated road safety monitoring platform was the most important measure.
It asked the advocate general to ensure that recommendations made by the court regarding the development of the platform were initiated.
The court said the police department will have to be involved in developing the integrated platform.
The DGP has been directed to nominate an officer well-versed in road safety to serve as a member of the steering committee.