They were merely two years previous when twin brothers K Balakumar and K Balachandran lost their father K Kannan in a highway accident when he was travelling from Kuttalam to Madurai.
The Class XII students of Melur higher secondary school, who are now 18 consider their father could be saved had the ambulance taken him quicker to a hospital on that day. This is what became the impetus behind an ‘ambulance sign system’ the siblings have developed to assist ambulance carry patients quicker and probably prevent deaths.
Chief minister Edappadi Ok Palaniswami has praised the efforts of the boys on Twitter.
‘Traffic hotspots can be warned in advance’
Balakumar said “The sound of sirens, that too with the ambulance going at 100km/hr, typically reaches up to 100-200 metres on the most. By then, it’s too late for commuters to get out of the way shortly. By utilizing this sign system, traffic hotspots might be warned upfront when the ambulance is 2km away, giving extra time for commuters and traffic police to get out of the way in time.”
Balakumar and Balachandran grew up in the care of their uncle S Senthil, who stated the boys all the time had a curiosity in science since Class VI.
