Watch: Elderly Kerala woman stands in front of moving scooter on footpath, forces rider back onto road

A brave woman in Kerala blocked a scooter on a footpath, forcing the rider back onto the road. A video of her heroic act has gone viral.

In a powerful display of civic responsibility, a brave elderly woman in Kozhikode, Kerala, has become a viral sensation after firmly standing her ground against a traffic violator. Encountering a scooter rider attempting to bypass traffic by using the pedestrian footpath, she refused to budge, physically blocking his path. With a firm hand and a clear message, she directed him back toward the road, refusing to let him pass until he complied.

An elderly woman in Kerala confronting a rider driving on a footpath. (Screengrab (Facebook))

Kerala Motor Vehicles Department shared the now-viral video on Facebook. They urged social media to help them identify the woman whose gesture has drawn widespread praise online.

The video shows a man on a scooter illegally veering onto the footpath to avoid congestion. The elderly woman firmly stands in front of the rider, refusing to let the driver continue riding on the footpath.

Multiple times, he even tries to squeeze through a narrow gap beside the footpath, but the saree-clad woman physically blocks his way. At one point, she also takes out her phone, probably to record the moment, capture the rider’s license plate number, or report him to the authorities.

Finally, she wins as the rider gets off the footpath to join the incoming traffic. The video ends with the woman holding up a thumbs-up and smiling.

Social media reacts:

The video has prompted a flurry of responses on social media, with many sharing how the world needs more people like the elderly woman.

An individual commented, “Wow, she made my day! This civic learning has to happen in school, but better late than never.” Another expressed, “Commendable. But these things can turn ugly if the other person turns out to be an aggressive psychopath.”

A third posted, “She's great. Did the right thing. A footpath is meant for people for walking, not for riding by any means.” A fourth wrote, “Courageous and perfectly valid what was done by this honourable lady. We need more people like her who stand up to oppose such nonsense. Else, such illegal acts are not just taken for granted: these offenders believe it is their birthright and their strength to commit such felonies with none daring to touch them.”

Can two-wheelers ride on the footpath? The law says...

According to the Kerala Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, it is illegal to drive a two-wheeler on a footpath.

“Use of foot‐paths or other tracks by motor vehicles‐Restrictions: Where any road or street is provided with foot‐path or tracks reserved for cycles a specified classes of other traffic, no person shall, save with the sanction of police officer in uniform, drive any motor vehicle or cause or allow any motor vehicle to be driven on any such foot‐path or track.”