To prevent accidents during inclement weather conditions, the Noida Police have mandated the use of reflective tapes on vehicles. The police can impose a fine of Rs 10,000 if they finds owners driving vehicles without the glowing tapes. The fine would be defined under the Motor Vehicles Act, said reports.
As part of the initiative, the Gautam Budh Nagar district traffic police installed reflective tapes on barricades and pillars on roads at the DND Flyway toll plaza recently.
“We have seen that sometimes, speeding vehicles hit the dividers at the toll plaza due to poor visibility. The reflective tapes improve visibility and safety for road users," Hindustan Times quoted Ganesh Prasad Saha, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), Gautam Budh Nagar, as saying.
The decision was taken by the police to prevent accidents in foggy conditions. Roads around Noida are notorious for accidents caused by poor visibility. Reflective tapes are designed to help drivers see even in low light and at night. They play an important role in alerting commuters when the backlights of vehicles do not function properly.
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Raghavendra Kumar, a volunteer with the Noida traffic police, said in foggy weather, accidents also occur when vehicles are parked on the road.
“People should not park their vehicles by the roadside. The police should also act swiftly and remove such vehicles to avoid accidents,” Kumar told Hindustan times.
In 2021, 368 people were killed in 798 accidents, data provided by the Gautam Budh Nagar traffic police revealed. A year earlier, 380 people were killed in 740 accidents. The total number of people injured in accidents in 2021 was 504, while the number was 528 in 2020.
Rule 104 to 104 D of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1989, makes it mandatory to install reflectors, reflective tapes and rear marking tape as part of the Automotive Industry Standards 089 and ASI090 regulations.
While private two- and four-wheelers are factory-fitted with a reflector on the rear side, commercial vehicles like trucks and tractors do not have such safety mechanisms, causing accidents.
