Strategic traffic overhaul brings down accidents in Madurai

Madurai: Identification of accident hotspots and black spots where accidents frequently occur, and remedial measures taken to prevent accidents in such spots by the Madurai city police, has paved the way in bringing down accidents by 5.1% in city limits in 2025, compared to its previous year.The accident number came down by 33 accidents, with 19 fatalities and 14 injuries in 2025. With a view to reducing road accidents, authorities were instructed to take strict action against traffic violations. Based on this, 5.08 lakh motor vehicle cases were registered in 2025, and a fine of 44.91 crore was imposed.A senior traffic police official said that, so far, 76 hotspots in Madurai were identified as accident-prone areas. Various safety measures are being taken at these places, such as the construction of zigzag barricades, painting of roads, one-way lanes, installation of flashing lights, installation of speed limit signs and road markings, modification of road designs, and installing rumble strips to reduce the speed of vehicles.The ‘one day, one road' scheme was implemented in the city, where a road under the limit of a particular police station is selected, and for a week, a five-member team headed by an inspector does strict supervision of offences on parking violations, wrong-side driving, and signal offences on those roads.The official further added that "Eagle Patrol" was introduced last September. This vehicle roams most of the time. Two vehicles were dedicated for that purpose, one for the north and another for the south traffic ranges. This vehicle, with a team of three members, an SI, a head constable, and a driver, also imposes fines for traffic offences on the go.Similarly, each traffic station has one two-wheeler marshall patrol. They act as first responders in clearing traffic jams.The officer noted that, as a result of the above measures, 24 of the 76 hotspots (including three black spots) identified as the places where the most accidents occurred in 2022, 2023, and 2024 are now controlled from occurring accidents.City police commissioner J Loganathan told TOI that a study on accidents found that pedestrians account for 40% of the total accidents, and two-wheeler riders account for 56.5%. Considering this, special measures are being taken to improve the safety of pedestrians and two-wheeler riders. "Just as we reduced accidents by 5.1% last year, we have plans to reduce this to 15% in 2026," he added.