Night driving becoming hazardous

By G. Anand

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, DEC. 10. The disturbing trend of equipping motor-vehicles with powerful halogen head lamps that pack a blue tinted blinding beam has made night driving hazardous in the city and suburbs.

Temporary blindness caused by these powerful beams is stated to be the most common cause of accidents reported during night time.

Though, "see and be seen" is the fundamental on-the-road safety code for motorists at night, the traffic police is yet to take any stringent steps to enforce traffic norms on city roads at night.

Traffic experts felt that there should be a restriction on the brilliance of headlight lamps and the police should take steps to enforce it stringently.

However, experts at the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC) here are of the opinion that the screening of headlights alone would not alone help reduce the risks of nighttime driving.

It is pointed out that traffic islands and medians which dot the main thoroughfares in the city turn into death traps for motorists at night. Given the reduced vision at night, motorists often recognise a traffic island, median or bump only when they come very near to it. Then, as in most night accident cases, there will be little time left to effect evasive manoeuvres.

Proper lighting of all important and arterial roads in the city and installation of basic night time traffic safety devices such as cats' eye reflectors, white-striped speedbreakers and fluroscent sign boards on accident prone stretches are needed.

It is also pointed out that bi-cycles should be mandatorily painted yellow, to enhance visibility at night, and cyclists should be asked to wear reflective jackets as insisted in several other metropolitan cities.

Police said that at least two percent of accidents caused at night in the State was because the vehicle had only one of its' headlights in working order. Many experts stressed the need for the police to ensure that tail and brake lamps on all vehicles are fully functional and rear reflectors are fitted properly.

Traffic experts felt that the police should launch a special drive to crack down on traffic violations at night such as negligence on the part of drivers to dip headlights at oncoming vehicles.

Other violations such as fitting vehicles with additional headlights and powerful fog lamps, which are most often used to unnerve other road users, should be checked.

It is pointed out that at least a third of the road accidents in the city occur at night when the traffic flow is substantially reduced compared to daytime.

In the city, drunken driving is listed as the most common cause of road accidents in the city at night. The most number of such accidents are reported during the Christmas/New Year season in December, officials said.

Studies show that even a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of 0.07 per cent more than doubles the risk of being involved in an accident. This was because alcohol slows down eye-movement of the driver and makes him notice less of what is happening around. The peripheral vision of the driver is greatly reduced thus slowing down his reaction time. Police figures show that drivers between the age of 18 and 30 are involved in 40 per cent of alcohol- related accidents in the State.

Another cause of night time accidents is the general belief that one-way regulations cease to exist after 8 p.m. The Kerala Motor Vehicle Rules explicitly lays down that one-way regulations are round-the-clock unless and otherwise specified so.

A large number of accidents occur during the early morning hours owing to overspeeding of goods vehicles carrying perishable items like fish and vegetables.

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Section  : Southern States
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