Punjab police finds an innovative way to avoid road accidents

Punjab Police today launched a campaign to paste reflective stickers on slow-moving vehicles, especially tractor trolleys, in a bid to prevent road accidents.

A number collisions occur between vehicles on the highways especially in the night and the lack of reflectors on slow moving vehicles, being used particularly in Rabi and Kharif season for bringing agri-products in state mandis, results in major accidents and loss of human lives, an official spokesperson said.

Besides pasting the stickers, the Community Policing Wing has been directed to sensitise the rural populace about the importance of required reflective stickers on their vehicles, he said.

Also read : NGO urges government to enforce stricter measures to prevent deaths by road accidents

The spokesperson said 34,000 stickers have so far been pasted on vehicles as against an initial target of one lakh. Punjab ranks 26th among 29 states as per crime rate in the country and this move will avoid few road rash or accidents on the roads at highways.

A report from last year says travelling on Punjab roads is rendezvous with death. On an average, nine persons die every day in accidents on the state’s roads. The data also brings to fore the inability of the cops and authorities concerned to apply brakes to fatal accidents. The figures indicate that more people are being killed in accidents on the state’s roads than during the period of militancy.

The data also reveals that the number of deaths is alarmingly increasing every year. While 3317 persons were killed during 2013-14, the number stood at 3538 during 2014-15. Till July 31, already 1248 have lost their lives on State’s roads cutting through the length and breadth of the State. Punjab has already been declared as the state with highest number of deaths in road accidents in the country.

The experts believed that the lack of understanding of traffic rules, recklessness, driving under intoxication, over-speeding by the semi-literates are some of the causes of road accidents.