By Express News Service CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has taken cognisance of a CCTV footage of an accident involving a car and two two-wheelers in Tambaram on June 8 last, in which four persons sustained serious injuries. Justice N Anand Venkatesh, who took note of the incident on Monday, ordered notice to State and police administration to explore remedial measures. The judge observed that if only the CCTV footage was followed by a 24x7 control room manned by traffic police, with very high frequency (VHF) contact, the culprit could have been caught red-handed and even the mishap could have been averted. The judge also raised four specific queries. 1. Whether there could be a dedicated 24x7 control room manned by traffic police officials monitoring the flow of traffic to try and stop motor vehicles on the rampage before they can cause heavy damage through immediate VHF connectivity to traffic police nearest on the roads? 2. Whether the police/transport authorities can detain such motor vehicles indulging in dangerous driving on roads and prosecute them even before they cause avoidable accidents? 3. Whether it is time for them to crack the whip to exercise the available powers under Sections 19 to 22 of Motor Vehicles Act, to initiate proceedings to suspend/revoke driving licences of such reckless drivers? 4. Whether it is time for the State government to give its consent to enforce enhanced sentence of 10 years from the present two years for offence under Sec. 304-A of IPC for causing death by dangerous and negligent driving- as the amendment enables, as of now, to serve as serious deterrence? It is high time for all stakeholders to focus on prevention of accidents instead of confining its attention to post-accident measures, as the economic loss to community, city, state and nation, on loss of valuable lives and limbs was huge, the judge added.As regards the four accident victims, the judge directed the police to register a case and produce them before him on July 1 for arriving at a compromise by mediation for expeditious settlement of compensation claim.

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