Heavy vehicles with new retro-reflective tape may reduce accidents
News — By The Desk on April 8, 2011 at 11:32 AM
Times of India: Heavy vehicles like trucks, tractors, trailers and buses will have fix new retro-reflective tapes that provide long-distance visibility and high-standard reflectivity.
The state transport department officials said that the use of the new reflective tapes, which will be visible a kilometre away, would make the vehicles visible and help reduce fatal accidents at night. Vehicle owners will have to replace the existing tapes with the new ones and get it certified from the Regional Transport Office (RTO) when they obtain the annual fitness certificate. The stickers will be available at private outlets.
An RTO official from Pune said, “The new standard tapes were made mandatory for all transport vehicles in May 2009 as per the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989. It is mandatory to fix AIS-090: 2005 standard retro-reflective tapes. We will begin checking vehicles now.”
As per the prescribed standards, vehicles should have white tape on the front fender, and red tape on the back. Besides, both sides of the vehicle should have yellow tapes. Vehicles being manufactured under categories N1, N2 and N3 from 2009 and vehicles being manufactured under M2 and M3 categories from 2010 have been asked to fix the new standard tapes.
RTO Chandrakant Kharatmal said, “The existing tapes need to be replaced. The new tapes are of high standard with enhanced visibility and can be used for at least five to eight years. The new tapes glow even if there is dust in the air. Such high standard tapes would provide added protection on the highway. Manufacturers and dealers have been instructed to fix the tapes at the time of delivery of new vehicles.”
Chandmal Parmar of Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture’s road safety committee said that fatal accidents on highways happen because trucks are parked along the roadside without any reflectors. Heavy vehicles must have reflectors and tail lamps switched on at night, he said.
