Australia plans road safety practices on ECR

The Australian Trade Commission is planning to pilot its road safety and traffic enforcement practices on the East Coast Road (ECR) between Chennai and Puducherry. Michael Carter, Trade Commissioner and Consul Commercial, Australian Trade Commission, told The Hindu that representatives of the Commission are planning to meet senior government officials to work in tandem and improve road safety in the State. S. Rajendran, ADGP, State traffic planning cell, said the Australian officials wanted a stretch where they could implement some road safety technology and practices. “The ECR is ideal as it witnesses over 7,000 accidents annually,” says Mr. Rajendran. He said the State could adopt and implement the road design, signage and trauma care followed in Australia. “One of the technologies that can be adopted is the installation of cameras along the ECR. The policemen can detect drunk drivers by monitoring the screen. They will not have to stop every vehicle and ask them to blow,” Mr. Rajendran suggests. Mr. Carter said ‘booze bus’ is one of the enforcement methods used in Australia to curb drunk driving. “The bus will have all equipment to test for alcohol in blood and it will be parked on the stretch where the surprise check will be conducted. The driver can be tested on the spot instead of taking him to the hospital,” he said. He said by adopting all these measures, Australia was able to reduce road fatalities by 83 per cent in the last 40 years. “The State police can also tie up with Australian enforcement agencies and work together to ensure that Tamil Nadu becomes a role model for road safety,” he added.