The Kerala High Court today observed that the recently Mini Cooper car crash tragedy, which killed three, could have be averted had the State been proactive to taking action against speeding and reckless vehicle drivers [Suo Motu v The Chief Secretary and ors and connected cases].
The car collision took place near the Cochin International Airport (CIAL), Ernakulam last weekend, when a speeding Mini Cooper driven by a 19-year-old had rammed into a scooter, killing three youths.
A Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice KV Jayakumar referred to this incident today while hearing a case concerning road safety.
"This boy was riding at 200 kilometres per hour and your AI camera has spotted it. There should be some method by which you should stop it," the Bench said, addressing the State's counsel.
The Court added that a proper system to track and report speeding vehicles could have prevented the fatal collision.
"If such an action was taken such an accident would not have happened," the Judge remarked.
The Court asked why the existing traffic monitoring technology was not being effectively used to identify such speeding vehicles and prevent accidents.
"None of these people (driving vehicles at high speeds) have the capability to control these vehicles. If a vehicle is going at 100 kilometres per hour, even if the driver applies the brakes, it will not stop immediately...If a particular person drives at 220 kilometres per hour, will you inform them? Is there any module for that?" Justice Vijayaraghavan remarked.
The Court proceeded to seek details of over-speeding violations detected during the past two months.
The Bench specifically sought information on vehicles travelling above 150 km/h, as well as details on whether the violations had been reported to the authorities concerned and whether any action had been taken.
Justice Vijayaraghavan also raised concerns about the risk posed by high-performance cars when they are driven at dangerously high speeds on roads in Ernakulam, particularly after midnight.
"We are asking you to set up some sort of expert management team who can devise a better method, because speed should not be an incentive for the drivers," the Judge remarked.
Justice Jayakumar added that the authorities must propose effective measures to address these concerns.
"We want practical solutions on how to tackle this issue, not a formal counter," he said.
Justice Vijayaraghavan further questioned whether District Road Safety Committees had been constituted across Kerala, and whether such bodies are taking adequate steps to identify accident-prone road stretches.
"How often are they holding meetings? How are black spots and accident-prone zones rectified?" the judge asked.
The Bench also highlighted the need for an Integrated Road Safety Monitoring platform and asked the State to indicate how soon such a system could be developed. It suggested involving the Kerala State IT Mission and other technical agencies in these efforts.
The matter will be heard next on October 25.
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