To curb accidents in Thoppur, the RTO and toll gate staff are using an innovative method of sticking reflective light stickers on the edges of the road near Palayampudur toll gate. In the past six months, over 34 accidents were reported in the area, with 14 fatalities and 25 injuries.
Thoppur ghat road is prone to accidents due to the steep climbs and hairpin bends. The road is the only major highway, connecting Salem with Dharmapuri, and also the only highway which allows access to Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
A toll gate official said, "The Thoppur ghat road is one of the most well maintained roads in Dharmapuri district, the toll gate staff regularly monitor the roads and upgrade the roads to ensure the best possible ride. Despite the efforts, it is a common sight of accidents and majority of the accidents occur due to lack of attentiveness of drivers. So, to ensure that drivers are properly warned, we are setting up reflective stickers, alerting drivers. As part of the first phase, we will be marking these stickers along Kattamedu to police quarters in Thoppur.So far, we have set up solar lighting, audio visual indicators,widened the roads, set up depression strips and other methods to avert accidents."
According to police, in the past six months, a total of 34 accidents have been recorded and 14 people suffered fatalities and 25 people were injured, while it was more than double in the previous years.
Regional Transport officer, Dhamodaran said, "Low visibility is a problem in Thoppur ghat. Because of hills on either side of the roads, it is difficult to install lights everywhere. Novice drivers, who are unaware of the terrain, lose control and trucks would topple on the roads. So, to better aid drivers traverse the hilly area, we have pasted reflective stickers on the hill side. This would alert drivers of the dangers and would help them curb their speeds which is the most common cause of accidents here."