Reflective tapes must on trucks

Wednesday, Feb 02, 2011




Soon, all trucks that pass through Delhi will be fitted with reflective tapes. The Delhi government, in a recent policy-level meeting, has ordered the transport department and the traffic police to ensure that no truck is left out. According to Rakesh Mehta, chief secretary, "Use of reflective tapes in trucks would help reduce accidents and risk of collisions, as they would give better visibility to trucks on highways."

Delhi registered an alarming number of fatal accidents caused by trucks last year. According to traffic department records, out of 2,104 road accidents, 257 were caused by trucks. The accidents resulted in the loss of 262 lives.

"When trucks break down during night hours on the highway these often lead to fatal accidents. Use of reflective tapes on trucks will definitely help reduce accidents as other road users could see them from a distance.

According to a recent study conducted by the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Affairs, users of retro reflective tapes on trucks can reduce accidents by more than 30 % at night.

"Use of reflective tapes should be made mandatory on cars, light commercial vehicles and motorcycles," said KK Kapila, chairman, International Road Federation, who was also present at the policy-level meeting, where the decision about the reflective tapes was taken.

"During checks at the border, we found that trucks are not fitted with such tapes and so, henceforth, tapes will be fixed onto trucks at the border itself," said a senior officer of the transport department.

Delhi traffic police would soon initiate extensive checks at all points on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh and Delhi-Haryana border to ensure the same.

"I'm going to issue an order to our men posted on the border to ensure that all trucks are thoroughly checked and those not fitted with reflective tapes are prosecuted," said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

"During the drive, traffic policemen will also check other aspect of violations by trucks, including drunken driving, violation of registration certificates and permits and violation of Supreme Court guidelines," Garg added.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Reflective-tapes-must-on-trucks/Article1-657783.aspx