Reflective stickers to curb accidents on Araku road

It is a known fact that the way to Araku valley is full of sharp hairpin turns which prove difficult to maneuver post-sunset. In wake of the tragic accident, involving a family from Hyderabad, in Araku valley, Ken Foundation took up the initiative to ensure safe travel on these ghat roads. Earlier this week, Ken Foundation, which is a non-profit organisation, pasted reflective stickers on boulders, trees, road-side bollards along Araku road to minimise road accidents.

Krishna Prasad, Joint Secretary of Ken Foundation, also a resident of a similar hilly area of Paderu says, “Even local people, who are familiar with the roads, face difficulty riding the ghat roads of Araku during the night as there is no adequate street lighting. Even I met with an accident on those roads. To try and reduce this trend, we thought of putting up reflective stickers at objects near dangerous curves and help better navigation for riders.”

With the help of local volunteers, Krishna Prasad and Co pasted reflective stickers at vulnerable spots on a 50 km Araku Ananthagiri ghat road. Starting on 7 March, it took the team 2 days to paste multi-colour reflective stickers (Red/Yellow/White) on different objects along the ghat roads. 

As per sources, there are eight major hairpin bends along the 50 km-long ghat road between Vizag city and Araku valley. With the majority of traffic comprising tourists, who are not versed with the roads, Ken Foundation hopes to reduce road accidents along Araku road. “We have done research on what types of stickers to use. We fastened Yellow and Red sticker to help riders in the day and White sticker for safe riding during the night,” says, Mr. Santosh, founder, Ken Foundation. For better prevention, the foundation hopes to see warning boards at sharp turns and proper boundary walls near deep valleys.