CHENNAI: On September 11, as Srinivas, a driver with the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation , drove a jam-packed bus along a ghat road in the Jagtial district, he did not notice a sign warning him of a speed-breaker. The bus hit the bump and Srinivas lost control of the vehicle which went down 30ft into a valley killing 57 people, including the driver who had received a commendation certificate for his service on Independence Day.But the Telangana accident was not a one-off tragedy, nor a chance oversight by an experienced driver from the neighbouring state. More than 850 people were killed and 4,500 were injured in 4,400 road accidents reported between 2013 and 2016 in Tamil Nadu . In all these cases, the drivers had disregarded stop signs at road intersections. According to R Sudhakar, joint commissioner of police, traffic (Chennai south), every day motorists ignore cautionary boards which indicate a blind curve or a narrow road ahead and meet with accidents.Experts say the problem is twofold: Lack of enforcement and little awareness.Kamal Soi, member of National Road Safety Council, called for a better coordination among government agencies, including police and transport department, to reduce violations. “There is no point in keeping signs all over without punishing violators on the spot,” he said.But motorists and pedestrians said many sign boards were not visible. E Govindan from Madipakkam said illegal flex banners, cables and trees hide many signages placed on tall posts. “How do the police expect us to follow these signs,” he asked.A sample study of 500 drivers by a Chennai-based NGO in 2014 seconds Govindan. The study, besides noting that more than 80% of the drivers were unable to read signages properly and differentiate between them, said signboards were not adequately visible to motorists. A sign must be visible from 45m according to the Indian Road Congress, a representative technical body of highway engineers. But the ground reality is different.Although the Chennai traffic police have conducted a few campaigns across the city, releasing videos on various social media platforms and distributing pamphlets, to educate motorists about signages, experts blamed regional transport offices for issuing licences without properly testing the applicants.“But it is practically impossible for RTOs to check whether applicants know all the signs or not. But we are trying our best to spread awareness on road safety,” a transport official said.For now then, the onus is on the motorist.

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