Bhubaneswar: Cops rely on tyre killers to curb wrong-side driving

BHUBANESWAR: Here's a word of caution for those riding or driving on the wrong side of the road. The commissionerate police have decided to install tyre killers - barriers composed of sharp spikes - to deflate tyres of vehicles flouting rules.
"We will identify all the spots where wrong-side driving is rampant. Spike barriers will be placed at these spots to discourage people from driving on the wrong side of the road," commissioner Sudhanshu Sarangi said.
Police sources said tyre killers looked like speed-breakers, but had sharp spikes fixed on them at an angle. While they allow drivers who are coming from the correct direction to pass unhindered, they puncture the tyres of those coming from the wrong side.
Asked whether the system involved any risk to the life of riders, DCP (traffic) Sagarika Nath said the system was deemed safe. "Tyre killers are used in Pune, Hyderabad and Noida," she said.
Sagarika said initially the spike barriers would be placed on the Bomikhal flyover, where wrong-side driving was rampant. "If all goes smoothly, we will place them on other stretches," she said.
Wrong-side driving has been a cause for concern for police. Sources said wrong-side driving had caused at least 70 accidents here in the past five months. Though nobody was killed in the accidents, 45 people were injured.
The police recently identified 145 spots in Bhubaneswar where wrong-side driving is frequent. They included 15 highly critical points, especially on NH16 and the KIIT-Jayadev Vihar route.
"Legally, we cannot impose fines on such offenders as wrong-side driving is a non-compoundable offence under the amended Motor Vehicles Act. Our officers can at the most seize the bikes and send prosecution reports against the offenders to the court. The court can impose fine up to Rs 5,000," Sagarika said.