The fatal crash that killed three scooter riders on the Nedumbassery airport road has intensified demands for automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras to control speeding and detect traffic violations on the wide approach road to Cochin International Airport. Police have also taken two more young men into custody in connection with the crash, while the Motor Vehicles Department has identified excessive speed as the immediate cause.
The crash occurred at Athani on the airport road in the early hours of Sunday, when a luxury car travelling at high speed hit a scooter. The three people on the scooter — Iyas Ibrahim, 21, from Sullia in Karnataka; K.V. Devika, 21, from Kalpetta in Wayanad; and M.P. Gopika, 21, from Mannarkkad in Palakkad — died in the collision.
Nedumbassery police detained Joel, 19, and Ameen, 19, both from Alappuzha, after questioning Suhail Sajeef, who was driving the car. Police said the two men had been travelling in the car with Suhail and left the scene in another vehicle after the crash. They were taken into custody in Alappuzha and produced before a court. Police have also charged them with abetment in connection with the case.
The Motor Vehicles Department has submitted a preliminary report to the government and found that excessive speed caused the crash. The department is expected to suspend Suhail’s driving licence. Since he is currently being held at a Borstal Home, the department plans to complete the hearing after his release. If his release is delayed, officials will follow other procedures permitted under law to process the suspension.
The exact speed of the car at the time of the collision is still being examined. The department has directed the vehicle company to inspect its electronic control module, which may help establish the speed recorded immediately before the crash. Police said blood samples, including those from the accused driver, had been sent for testing, while forensic examination of the vehicles had been completed.
The demand for ANPR cameras has emerged from the road’s physical design and enforcement limitations. The airport road is broad and vehicles frequently travel at high speed, making it difficult for police officers to stop and inspect vehicles continuously. At the point where traffic enters the airport road from the national highway at Athani, drivers are also reported to accelerate when the signal changes, sometimes turning the stretch into a space for dangerous racing.
ANPR cameras could record vehicles travelling above a prescribed speed limit and enable the police and Motor Vehicles Department to issue penalties for speeding and other violations. The road is currently maintained by Cochin International Airport Limited, which already operates camera systems on the corridor. Those systems, however, are described as being designed mainly for monitoring vehicles when required rather than continuous speed enforcement.
Police and Motor Vehicles Department inspections are also being urged to focus on driving practice and racing on the airport road, particularly during the early morning hours when vehicles continue to move through the corridor. Rural Superintendent of Police K.S. Sudarshan said the investigation is being supervised by the Aluva Deputy Superintendent of Police and that a special investigation team could be formed if necessary.
