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Caution Boards Must on Roads Being Built: Activist

  • Lack of proper road safety measures on highways, particularly when construction is in progress, is one of the reasons for the increasing number of accidents, said road safety activist Chandmal Parmar on Thursday.A number of highways, roads and flyovers are being built, widened or redeveloped on build operate and transfer basis by contractors. Road contractors, consultants as well as state government agencies are responsible for implementing road safety measures, Parmar said.Proper road safety measures need to be in place to reduce accidents, as well as traffic jams, he said. Caution boards as well as 'go slow' boards should be installed after every one km. Retro reflective tapes should be displayed on sites where construction works are in progress, he added.

  • Proper barricades should be put up at all construction sites. Traffic diversion boards of proper size should be installed at least 15 metres ahead of the diversion point.The construction agency, he said, should deploy trained staff for traffic management at construction sites. Diversion roads should be properly asphalted or tarred so that there are no potholes or damages.The government authorities, Parmar said, should make it mandatory for the contractors to put up boards of the National Highway Authority of India or the ministry of road transport and highways, giving complete details of the highway or road project being constructed. The boards should also have contact numbers of the authorities concerned so that the people can contact them for any on-road assistance.

  • People going on long road journeys with their families should take proper road safety measures to avoid accidents, Parmar said. With frequent occurrences of accidents involving vehicles, wherein a group of members of a family are killed, Parmar said, drivers were not aware about road conditions of the places they visit.Road accidents occur due to the fault of drivers, or mechanical defects in vehicles. The road condition, traffic scenario is also responsible for mishaps. Drivers should be cautious and avoid travelling at high speeds, particularly at night or during early morning hours, he said.

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