COIMBATORE: He wears no khaki uniform and carries no challan books, yet motorists in Coimbatore often mistake 55-year-old V S Suresh Kumar for a vigilant traffic officer. Armed with high-visibility reflective tape, a microphone and an uncompromising stance on road discipline, Suresh roams at city junctions and on arterial bypasses, coaxing drivers to choose life over haste. When he spots a freight auto or a minitruck without rear markings, he flags it down — not to penalize the driver, but to paste reflective strips on the tailgate himself.“Driving responsibly is a collective duty,” says Suresh, a resident of Saibaba Colony. “Every commuter has someone waiting for them back home. Our ultimate goal must be zero road fatalities.”Suresh became a road safety crusader after he met with an accident on a city road in 2008. He was riding on a motorcycle through Avarampalayam without a helmet. Three college students on a speeding bike rode in from the wrong direction, colliding head-on with his motorcycle. The impact was unforgiving. For seven harrowing days, Suresh lay motionless on a hospital bed.He survived the ordeal without an invasive brain surgery, but the man who woke up had changed forever. A native of Virudhunagar who moved to Coimbatore in 1989 as a corporate vehicle supervisor, Suresh realized that the margin between survival and death was very thin. “When I regained consciousness after a week in the dark, the very first thought that gripped me was that no one should ever suffer what I went through,” he recalls.That vow transformed into Vizhi – Awake, a dedicated road-safety mission launched in 2011. Suresh started out in a beat-up minivan. Later, he received support from the Rotary Club, which provided a multi-utility vehicle fitted with loudspeakers.Standing at dangerous intersections, Suresh directly halts errant riders. He does not scold; he reasons, explaining the blunt realities of a crash. He is equally intentional in his praise: motorists faithfully wearing helmets are stopped, lauded and presented with small gifts like lunch boxes.The impact of his intervention hit home recently when a motorcyclist called him in tears. Weeks after Suresh had stopped him for riding without a helmet and persuaded him to wear headgear, the man was thrown off his two-wheeler in a brutal crash. His limbs were badly fractured, but his head remained intact. “I am alive today only because you stopped me that day,” the rider told him.Today, videos on Suresh’s YouTube channel have found widespread resonance, prompting invitations from across Tamil Nadu. Every day, he takes to Coimbatore’s streets and ensures that a stranger reaches home safely.Kovai Heroes is a city-wide recognition initiative by The Times of India, presented by Infinium Developers to identify, celebrate, and honour individuals making a positive impact in Coimbatore through service, innovation, and leadership. Education Partner: SSVM Institutions. Associate Partner: Lakshmi Ceramics.
