By sticking radium stickers on the horns of the cattle, police have found a solution to the rising problem of motorists crashing into stray animals in Madhya Pradesh. The administration is hopeful that the glow will give drivers enough time to avoid hitting stray animals at night.
At least 300 cows and bulls have received the neon stickers atonement. According to the police, the stickers are just temporary as they want to replace it with permanent radium paint. Authorities have also advised Farmers to take this step at the earliest.
How severe is the road accident situation?
As per police report in Madhya Pradesh alone, 8 to 10 cases of road mishaps due to stray animal takes place in a month. While in the rainy season the figure increases to 15 cases. According to the latest statistics, more than 550 people around the country were killed in 2015 due to stray cattle.
But the need to take this move came after many drivers hurt themselves or killed the animal at night. Taking action against cows is not particularly easy because of the presence of cow vigilantes. However, the state seemed to have worked around the problem and made the impossible possible. They came up with the technique of sticking strips of radium to the horns of the cattle and it has been well-received by commuters who are now able to spot the cows from a distance.
Other states which have adopted this technique
The latest to take this initiative are Balaghat police who believes that it will bring down the road accidents at night. In the last five days, they have stuck radium stickers on about 100 cattle-heads.
In the district of Khargone, the idea to use neon stickers stemmed from cow vigilantism. One other factor was the rise of communal incidents that followed after cow accidents. If the driver involved in the cow accident were a Muslim, it would take a religious tone. So to put a stoppage the police adopted this initiative.
How successful is the initiative
If one looks at the report, the neon stickers have brought down road accidents at night. But for few other districts over the last two years, the idea have had very limited success. As the number of cattle is high and secondly the police does not receive the right support from the municipal authority.
Even though drivers have appreciated the innovative method but authorities will have to ensure that this idea does not come to a stop.