Despite frequent safety warnings issued by the police and the Motor Vehicles department (MVD), abrupt lane changing and indiscriminate overtaking attempts by some motorists have once again begun endangering road users on the newly widened National Highway 66 in Kozhikode district. In the absence of spot enforcement, the right lane meant for safe overtaking continues to be used as a cruising lane by many motorists.

Passengers cite the illegal entry of private buses into the banned stretch of the widened national highway as the biggest safety hazard to other light motor vehicles on the six-lane road. Speed-limit violations by heavy vehicles at the entry and exit points connected to the high-speed motorway also remain undetected.

“A few months ago, there were regular patrols by highway squads to detect illegal parking along the highway. With the decline in surveillance, many stretches have emerged as illegal parking points, endangering the safety of other speeding vehicles,” says C.P. Vineeth, an executive working near the Pantheerankavu toll plaza for FASTag activation. He points out that motorcycle riders are the majority responsible for creating such unexpected obstructions.

A retired traffic police officer who frequently travels between Kozhikode and Kannur points out that many drivers are yet to familiarise themselves with the safety rules on the six-lane highway.

Sudden lane changes and speed-limit violations are now emerging as a life-threatening phenomenon on the renovated road, he adds.

The delay in removing broken-down vehicles or those involved in various accidents also endangers road safety. Gopinath Pulikkal, a recovery van operator, says no accident helplines are seen along the highway to assist passengers in need.

According to him, many are forced to wait for hours to get help owing to the delay in obtaining permission from the authorities to display helpline numbers.

“The illegal parking of heavy goods carriers has been continuing without any action along the Koyilandy–Vadakara stretch of the national highway. When residents questioned the drivers about the unsafe practice, they blamed the authorities for not creating dedicated parking spots for inter-State goods carriers,” says Sadik Ali, a petrol pump employee at Koyilandy. He points out that the local police on night patrol hardly check the unsafe parking practices.

Meanwhile, MVD and highway enforcement squad members say that an intensified action plan is on the cards to expose irresponsible drivers on the national highway using vehicle interceptors fitted with radar cameras.

They also say efforts are in full swing to activate all surveillance cameras along the completed stretches of the national highway in the wake of recurring violations.