The Hindu : Front Page : Cars top the ‘killer’ list in city

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 10, 2007
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Cars top the ‘killer’ list in city

M. Srinivas

HYDERABAD: A real-estate boom, easy finance options and higher incomes have contributed to a rapid increase in the number of cars in the twin cities.

And with the rise in their number on the roads, four-wheelers are turning out to be ‘killer’ vehicles, going by statistics. Forty-one lives were snuffed out and 990 people suffered injuries in 841 accidents till October 31, 2007, after being hit by cars as against 50 deaths and injuries to 1,132 people in 2006 and 23 deaths and injuries to 950 people in 2005.

Cars topped the list of vehicles involved in accidents in 2007, followed by motorcycles and three-wheelers. There are various reasons for these accidents.

Some occurred due to careless driving, while others due to bad roads. In some instances, under-aged youngsters were found driving cars. Another factor was drunken driving, JNTU professor (traffic and transportation) P.R. Bhanu Murthy explained. Many of these accidents occurred on weekends when car owners were returning home after partying late in the night and under the influence of alcohol and other substances. Almost 12 models of cars, mostly swanky ones, ply on roads. Spiralling land prices and high-salaried groups in corporates have led to the sudden increase in number of four-wheelers. Some families in plush Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills and Somajiguda have two cars.

At present, three lakh four-wheeler vehicles are on the roads and 30 to 40 cars get registered everyday in the twin cities.

No traffic sense

Police officers, however, blame it on the absolute lack of traffic sense among motorists. “Everyone on the roads these days is in a hurry,” Additional DCP (Traffic), G. Sampath Kumar Reddy maintained.

He said cars were also contributing to traffic chaos at intersections. “A car occupies almost three metres space and one can imagine the situation on the busy Begumpet - Punjagutta route in peak hours. Ironically, only one or two persons travel in them,” he added.

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