TIRUCHY: Road users in Tiruchy have called out the “reckless driving” by vehicles of educational institutions, particularly those of schools plying students during rush hour, saying that they go about as if they are “governed by their own set of rules”. They demand measures like imposition of fines on such drivers to rein in the violations.
Among the major concerns is such vehicles stopping abruptly in the middle of busy roads to pick up or drop off students. S Venkatesh of Tennur said, "The school buses stopping in the middle of the road without warning block entire stretches. We are forced to then slam the brakes, creating chaos."
Mentioning such acts also as risky for the students, he added, “What if a child runs on the road without warning?" On the issue, Royal Raja of Chinthamani said, “When school vehicles break traffic rules, it is a recipe for disaster. These vehicles are often seen overtaking in a rash manner, ignoring traffic signals, and making abrupt turns. They endanger both pedestrians and vehicle users. They ply as if they have their own set of rules.”
While the traffic police admit to the prevalence of the issues, they express helplessness in reining in such rash drivers due to the high volume of vehicles. The educational institution authorities must be equally responsible, they said. When contacted, an RTO official in Tiruchy told TNIE that a total of 61 cases were booked over educational institution vehicles flouting rules over the past six months.
Fines amounting to Rs 80,000 were collected from them for various violations including lack of licence and reflective stickers, and overloading. “During inspections, we raise awareness on the traffic rules among drivers,” the official added, promising to further act on the matter.