Trucks with obscured number plates raise safety concerns

Trucks in Kozhikode with obscured number plates evade surveillance, posing safety risks on rural roads.

Trucks with broken or obscured number plates are reportedly being operated in rural Kozhikode to transport quarry products to construction sites. Residents claimed that the illegible plates were a deliberate attempt to evade CCTV surveillance and avoid detection for speed limit violations and other traffic offences.

“Many of these vehicles are used to transport illegally mined soil or quarry products. Even some trucks delivering materials for road construction operate with illegible or faulty number plates,” said P. Anil Kumar, a residents’ association member from Payyoli. He pointed out that residents were concerned about safety, as drivers of such vehicles could easily evade accountability in the event of an accident.

Parents Teachers Association members from schools along the Payyoli-Perambra route said that some truck owners had reportedly modified their vehicles with additional steel bars at the rear, strategically placed to obstruct number plates. While many claimed that the bars served as crash guards, the actual intent was well known to the drivers, they said.

Home Guards, who often record traffic violations using their mobile phone cameras, found it difficult to capture clear footage of the trucks, especially when reckless driving or other offences occurred. In many cases, brake lights near the number plates were deliberately disabled, making it harder to track the vehicles at night.

“The police and Motor Vehicles department (MVD) squads must take prompt action, as these vehicles can easily evade responsibility in hit-and-run incidents or other road accidents. Road safety squads have to keep such vehicles off the road,” said a local body member from Payyoli. He added that a flash inspection in rural areas could quickly expose such violations.

Meanwhile, police sources claimed that details of several such vehicles have already been collected for action based on public complaints. They also added that vehicle owners would soon be summoned based on photographs capturing the registration numbers displayed on the sides of the trucks.