Kannur: The safety of passengers on the recently opened Mahe-Thalasseri bypass has become a huge concern in the wake of recurring road accidents. The stretch witnessed two accident deaths in the past three days.
An auto driver, Palloor native Palottummal Muthu, 70, died while attempting to enter the bypass through the East Palloor signal on Saturday morning. A speeding car collided with his auto while entering the bypass and he died. An Alappuzha native, Jayaprasad lost his life in a road accident on the highway. His car, while coming from Mumbai, collided with a lorry waiting for the signal at East Palloor in the early hours of May 28.

“The auto driver had driven onto the bypass carelessly as per the initial reports. A car which was passing through the bypass hit the auto and the driver of the auto died in the accident,” police said.
The locals at Mahe and the commuters using the Mahe-Thalasseri stretch have been seeking a permanent solution to solve their concern over the newly opened bypass. Lack of proper sign boards, lights and awareness has also led to accidents on the bypass which was opened to traffic in March.

According to the locals and law enforcement officials, most of the accidents occurring on the bypass are due to careless driving. Most drivers using the highway are unskilled to drive in such a highway and the lack of cameras gives them the freedom to overspeed.
"The road lacks proper sign boards to warn the drivers about the possible hazards on the road. The accident which took the life of an Alappuzha native is clear evidence of a lack of proper warning on the bypass. A driver, who is not a regular on the route, would not expect a signal in such a bypass. However, the negligence on the side of the drivers is causing the majority of the accidents here. There should be proper sign boards, cameras, warnings etc on the bypass to curb the accidents and prevent the drivers from making mistakes. There should also be awareness on the traffic rules on the six-lane highways,” K Hareendran, a resident from the area said.

The locals fear that the accident rate will rise once the schools open on June 3. However, the authorities have taken some measures to curb the accidents on the bypass. The major initiative is the restriction of entry of vehicles to the highway through the East Palloor signal.