Cows and bulls in Madhya Pradesh are being made to wear orange reflective bands on their horns to prevent road accidents, an officer from the state’s police force told AFP on Tuesday. The glow-in-the-dark stickers are making it easier for motorists to see the stray cattle while driving late at night, said Kailash Chauhan, a traffic police inspector in Balaghat. At least 300 cows and bulls have been treated to this adornment.
"Many drivers injured themselves or killed the cattle after running over them at night," Chauhan said, adding that there was an "urgent need" to prevent such accidents.
The neon stickers, however, are just temporary. The police, according to Chauhan, want to buy "permanent radium paint" to replace the stickers, which supposedly last only a few weeks. Farmers have also been asked to do the same with their cattle. According to the report, more than 550 people around the country were killed in 2015 in accidents after stray cattle wandered on to motorable streets.
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