Kochi city police on Tuesday screened videos of bus accidents to a group of private bus drivers in the city to create safety awareness among them.
Police took a visual-evidence approach at a stakeholders’ meeting called to discuss mounting complaints about the private bus service. Videos of around 25 recent accidents, captured by accident scene camera systems installed in buses, from various parts of the state were shown.
“The videos were projected on a large screen with original sound. The footage included accidents caused by careless drivers as well as victims. Each image was carefully analyzed and the participants were briefed on how each incident could have been avoided,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic West) Mohammed Nizar.
State-level police have been collecting CCTV footage of traffic accidents since last year.
Addressing the gathering, District Superintendent of Police (Kochi City) Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar said that there are a large number of petty cases against private bus services in the city and drivers are often not held accountable as bus owners pay fines. “Drivers should be personally responsible for fines issued to them for traffic violations,” he said. He said private bus drivers should strictly adhere to the police certificate and wear uniform. The officer ordered the bus operators to record the details of the drivers on duty on a daily basis to make identification easier in case of police investigations.
“Bus drivers should have more patience and responsibility when it comes to the safety of pedestrians, especially the elderly,” he said.
He said cooperation between the police and the private bus sector would be strengthened to ensure road safety. The meeting was attended by police officers, representatives of private bus owners, drivers and trade unions.
Published – 25 Feb 2026 22:04 IST
