Speedsters on the road are trying various tricks to escape the arm of the law, as Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) inspectors discovered on Sunday — the same day a young bike rider lost his life near Palarivattom Bypass Junction and another suffered serious injuries while reportedly engaged in racing.
Reckless driving
MVD inspectors intercepted two youths, just past their teens, who were engaged in reckless driving on a bike through the highway. The youths slowed down, but refused to stop and zoomed away.
The MVD personnel managed to jot down the bike’s registration number, collected telephone numbers and directed the youngsters to report at their office.
While the pillion rider came accompanied by his mother, the bike’s driver brought along a person he identified as his father. A friendly chat revealed that the ‘father’ was fake, following which the officials took custody of the bike.
“The youngster is yet to turn up with his real father,” said MVD officials.
George Thomas, an MVD inspector attached to the department’s mobile-enforcement squad in Ernakulam, said the squad was flooded with complaints of reckless driving by youngsters on two-wheelers.
Altered vehicles
“Another trend is that of youths zooming around on powerful bikes after altering or removing the silencer. We direct them to restore the vehicles to the original form, since it is a rule violation and and also causes nuisance to road users.”
“With youths often giving enforcement personnel the slip, more number of powerful cameras must be set up along city roads to identify rule breakers. The cost of installing them can easily be recovered by way of penalty imposed on rule violators,” Mr. Thomas said.
Deputy Transport Commissioner (Central Zone) K.G. Samuel said the MVD and the police personnel faced constraints while chasing down speedsters because it could lead to accidents.
Illegal spare parts
“We are now focused on limiting availability of illegal spare parts which are retrofitted in vehicles to alter performance and sound,” he said.
Surprise checks
Most of the time, the police too desist from chasing such offenders for fear of causing accidents.
“Instead, we conduct surprise checks in new locations. Youths causing nuisance to others must understand that roads are for everyone and must not be considered an arena to have fun,” said Karuppasamy R., Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic, Law and Order).