Fluorescent reflective tapes on stray animals to put brakes on road accidents in U.P.

Stray animals will be tagged with white, red and yellow fluorescent reflective tapes to make them more visible at night to prevent road accidents in Uttar Pradesh where vehicle collisions, especially with the bovine population, cause a number of mishaps and deaths every year, officials said.

The state has been recording the highest number of road accident deaths in the country for a few years now. Uttar Pradesh witnessed 22,595 fatalities in road accidents in 2022, according to a transport department report.

As many as 10,000 fluorescent reflective tapes will be distributed in smaller cities and 15,000 to 20,000 in mid-sized and larger cities of the state. The plan is expected to be implemented in key accident-prone areas soon and their list is being worked out. If successful, the initiative could be expanded statewide to address the widespread problem of stray animals on roads.

Director, animal husbandry, Dr PN Singh said, “The department is currently in discussions with experts about tagging stray animals with white, red, and yellow fluorescent reflective tapes to enhance their visibility at night. The move comes after the letter by the principal secretary, Transport, to our department. This initiative aims to reduce road accidents in Uttar Pradesh, where collisions with animals, particularly bovines, lead to numerous mishaps and fatalities annually. The department is in the process of preparing a budget for this project.”

“We are also working on identifying key areas to launch the initiative, focusing on places like city outskirts, highways, expressways, and main roads, where stray animal movement is most prevalent. Although the project will prioritize all animals, stray and domesticated, we often see that the roads are dominated by animals owned by individuals and traders. Even though stray animals are housed in shelters, those on the roads pose the greatest risk,” Singh said.

Another animal husbandry department official, who refused to be named, said the fluorescent reflective tapes will help alert vehicle riders to the presence of animals on the road, significantly reducing the chances of collision.

A private company will be responsible for ensuring the animals are fitted with these tapes and the bright colours will help distinguish animals from the road, allowing drivers more time to react and avoid accidents.

According to the 2019 Livestock Census, Uttar Pradesh had 11.84 lakh stray cattle. The number is likely to have increased since then. The state had a total cattle population of over 1.90 crore, including 62,04,304 milch cows and 23,36,151 dry cows.

Last week, transport commissioner Chandrabhushan Singh wrote to the additional chief secretary, animal husbandry, requesting the placement of fluorescent reflective tapes on stray animals to help prevent accidents.

An animal husbandry official said, “The urgency of the initiative stems from increasing concerns about accidents involving vehicles and animals, particularly on highways. A private company recently made a presentation to demonstrate how fluorescent reflective tapes could be attached around animals’ necks. Tapes of three different sizes were showcased to ensure they could fit animals of various sizes.”

Pushpsen Satyarthi, additional transport commissioner (road safety), said that the collaboration between the transport and animal husbandry departments aims to make roads safer for both humans and animals by preventing unnecessary collisions and saving lives.

As per a transport department report, a total of 41,746 road mishaps occurred in U.P. between January and December 2022, killing 22,595 people and injuring 28,541 others. A comparative analysis of 2022 figures with that of 2021 shows that fatalities increased by 6.4% and injury cases rose by a massive 14.6%.

Among seven UP cities, which have a population of over 10 lakh, road accidents reported in Agra, Lucknow, Kanpur and Prayagraj have been the most fatal, suggests the recently released data of the National Crime Records Bureau of 2022.

The data stated that as many as 698 deaths and 91 injuries were reported in 729 road accidents in Agra, followed by 643 deaths and 994 injuries in 1408 incidents in Lucknow, 640 deaths and 955 injuries in 1595 road accidents in Kanpur and 603 deaths and 886 injuries in 1370 road accidents in Prayagraj.