Gearing up for safe New Year celebrations

“We have also distributed or hung nearly 10,000 New Year greeting cards which insist on road safety tips such as wearing helmets, avoiding rash and negligent driving and drunken driving during the New Year revelry,” Deputy Commission (traffic), of the city police S. Saravanan said. The Avinashi Road Flyover and North Coimbatore Flyover will be closed from 11 p.m. on Saturday to 1 a.m. on Sunday.   

The district police are concentrating on registering cases in the outskirts of the city bordering the district police limits as most colleges are located in those areas. In the Southern districts, security has been tightened in places of worship. Places such as temples, bus stands, railway stations, beach, shopping malls and other such recreation centres would be tightly guarded said the police.  Bike and vehicle patrolling would be stepped up from Saturday night till Sunday night. 

Additional barricades will be put on roads to curb rash driving by 2-wheelers and to stop violators. Arun Sakthi Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Madurai City, claimed that the main aim would be to stop youngsters flying in their bikes.  Thoothukudi SP, Ashwin Kotnis, claimed that youngsters indulge in bike races on the Beach Road on New Year eve. 

Stringent action would be taken against the bike racers. Drunken driving and reckless driving would be dealt with severely. Helmets and seat belts will also be made mandatory said the SP.