Thiruvananthapuram | The Kerala Human Rights Commission (KHRC) on Monday issued a slew of directions, such as regulating the use of high engine capacity motorbikes, installing speed breakers and increasing police patrolling, to prevent overspeeding and the resulting accidents on roads in the state.
KHRC chairman Justice Antony Dominic also directed the state government and the police to ensure that there are no signs, hoardings or flags on road medians to prevent obstruction of view of vehicles on the other side.
The Commission also directed authorities to install street lights where they were not present, and put up warning signs and fence off road medians to prevent overspeeding and accidents.
Besides that, it also directed that plants on the road medians should be checked frequently to ensure they are not obscuring the view from the other side, and provisions be made for people to cross the road safely.
It also issued directions to the police to patrol more areas to prevent vehicle racing.
The Commission gave the directions after it took cognisance of the issue on its own, based on news reports of a road accident near Thiruvallam Bypass in January this year that claimed two lives -- of a woman pedestrian and a bike rider.
According to the police, the accident occurred due to overspeeding as the bike rider was participating in an illegal motorbike race and the two-wheeler hit the woman while she was crossing the road early in the morning.
During the proceedings before the Commission, the Transport Commissioner said that roads in Kerala were not suitable for high engine capacity motorbikes, like the 1000cc bike involved in the accident.
The police told the Commission that trees on the road medians were obscuring the view from the other side and despite several letters to the National Highways Authority of India, it was not putting up street lights.
It also told the Commission that there were no speed warning signs, zebra crossings or speed breakers at the accident site.
