Madhya Pradesh: In a first-of-its-kind initiative for the benefit of stray cattle, police in Madhya Pradesh are sticking glow-in-the-dark strips on the horns of cattle to prevent motorists from crashing into the animals as they wander across roads at night.

As many as 300 cows and bulls’ horns were decked with orange radium reflective bands which will help drivers spot them and thereby prevent accidents. The increasing number of accidents involving stray cattle made police to take the decision.

“Many drivers injured themselves or killed the cattle after running over them at night. There was an urgent need to prevent such accidents,” Kailash Chauhan, traffic police inspector for Balaghat district said.

Officers witnessing the success of the plan, now plan to buy permanent radium paint to cover cows’ horns, as the plastic bands only last for a few weeks. Authorities have also asked farmers to fix glow-in-the-dark bands on their own cattle to help them be seen more easily.

According to road ministry figures, more than 550 people were killed in India in accidents involving stray animals in 2015.