The Kerala Motor Vehicles department (MVD) has decided to act strict action against traffic violators who throw pedestrian safety to the winds on zebra crossings.
The MVD officers have been instructed to cancel the driving licences of drivers who violate pedestrian safety at zebra crossings. In addition, penal action would be initiated against them under the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act Section 184 which carries a penalty of ₹2,000.
The decision was made against the backdrop of a Kerala High Court order that recently directed authorities to strictly enforce the law against errant drivers who violate pedestrian safety on zebra crossings and along the roadside. Drivers who stop or park their vehicles on zebra crossings will be penalised by the police and the MVD, and their driving licence will be cancelled, said Transport Commissioner C.H. Nagaraju. It is noticed that many two-wheeler and four-wheeler drivers are not showing courtesy to pedestrians on roads, especially at zebra crossings. Further, a good number of drivers used to park their vehicles right on zebra crossings, defeating the purpose of these crossings. In some places, wherever there are footpaths, that space is also used to park vehicles. This indicates a very dangerous driving culture and is causing thousands of deaths of pedestrians on roads. This year, till date, there have been over 800 deaths of pedestrians, and 50% of the pedestrians who died on roads are senior citizens, he said.
This is because many drivers do not slow down at zebra crossings. They continue to speed up to the zebra crossing, forcing the pedestrians to run across or get confused. According to the rules, every vehicle driver should slow down gradually and stop at least 3 metres away from the zebra crossing whenever a pedestrian is seen waiting at the edge of the zebra crossing. Showing courtesy to pedestrians and anticipating their movements are the major aspects required to retain a driving licence, said Mr. Nagaraju.
Published – December 01, 2025 09:08 pm IST
