Road rage triggers dangerous trend in Kozhikode district

An upsetting spike in road rage over recent months, with several cases involving violence, has called for a thorough field-level action by police and other enforcement squads in the Kozhikode district. Public complaints from city and rural areas indicate that minor disputes are frequently escalating into cruel physical confrontations.

One of the recent incidents at Kallummel near Valayam even involved a family travelling by a car that reportedly brushed against an SUV. Following the minor contact, a group of individuals allegedly stopped the SUV, pulled the driver and his family members from the vehicle and allegedly assaulted them. The group had reportedly over 15 people. A seven-month-old infant was also in the car who sustained a minor eye injury from a broken windshield.

In another case reported a few kilometres away from the same spot, a wedding-bound family was allegedly attacked. The police had registered a case and named ten individuals as accused. Other latest incidents included the assault of a civil defence member in Naduvattam and the arrest of a private bus driver who was found driving his vehicle after using ganja. 

“Such incidents reflect a broader issue of declining road discipline. Factors commonly contributing to these incidents include aggression after minor collisions, crowd involvement, group retaliation and impaired driving,” says a Deputy Superintendent of Police who was associated with a number of traffic reformation activities in Kozhikode district. He points out that the lack of clarity and digital evidence on what actually led to a clash come as the biggest dilemma for police. 

Data available with the State Crime Records Bureau officers confirms that there has been a significant fall in the number of road accident deaths across the State. While comparing with the 2023 figure, there was even a 10 % decline in the number of deaths. However, the number of road rages witnessed a dangerous spike, they reveal adding the compiled figures will be available soon for actions.  

“Many private buses have come under scrutiny. We are continuing with our field level actions,” says a senior Motor Vehicles Department officer working with the Road Safety Enforcement squad. However, he makes it clear that the legal actions alone will never change the situation without public cooperation.

The functionaries of the State-level Road Accident Action Form point out that efforts to improve surveillance infrastructure like cameras remain incomplete in several vulnerable locations across the State. Public and private transportation drivers continue to work with limited scrutiny, they say alleging that incident response times remain slow here.

“A better roadmap with the cooperation of various enforcement squads and the civic authorities is the first step to address the road rage concerns. We are yet to have it,” said Manoj Babu, a retired Traffic Police Officer from Kozhikode city who was instrumental in implementing many model traffic projects. The growing traffic and urban pressure demand a thorough review of the current enforcement strategies and adoption of better preventive steps, he observed.