CHENNAI: A 42-year-old woman auto-rickshaw driver died after her vehicle overturned while crossing a speed breaker on the Ponmar-Kandigai Link Road at Vengadamangalam near Vandalur on Tuesday night. While police suspect she was speeding, residents pointed to inadequate street lighting, poorly visible speed breakers and the deteriorated condition of the road.
The deceased, M Divya, a resident of Rajiv Gandhi Nagar in Urapakkam, was returning home after dropping off a passenger when the accident occurred around 8 pm.
According to the Pallikaranai Traffic Investigation Wing police, Divya lost control of the auto while crossing a speed breaker when she was riding at a high speed and the vehicle overturned. She sustained severe head injuries and died on the spot.
Police, however, added the stretch has inadequate street lighting, which makes the speed breaker difficult to spot, particularly for motorists unfamiliar with the road.
A Vengadamangalam resident said the road, laid around 2021, has developed potholes and damaged stretches. “The speed breakers also lack proper visibility. At night, commuters unfamiliar with the Ponmar-Kandigai Link Road may not notice them, while the edges of some speed breakers have also been damaged.
A permanent solution is needed,” the resident said. A passerby alerted the police, following which personnel from the Pallikaranai Traffic Investigation Wing reached the spot and sent Divya’s body to the Government Hospital in Tambaram for postmortem. A case has been registered under Sections 281 and 106(1) of BNS.
