Surely, there are lessons to be learnt from the fatal road accidents where there are multiple deaths or when lives of prominent personalities are lost. Yet, repetition of such accidents suggests that there is no follow up action to ensure they do not recur despite many studies.
The head-on collision of a DCM van ferrying a marriage party with 10-wheeled tipper near Mancherial town of Adilabad district in May, 2010 was one of the worst accidents in terms of death toll with 36 persons getting killed.
“The elder brother of the bride driving the van was in an inebriated condition. Inquiries revealed he had consumed as many as six beers,” the investigating officer of the case said.
But drunk driving had not been curbed here. “Can the transport and police officials guarantee that drivers of vehicles are not coming onto roads in this area in a drunken condition? No,” claims a Singareni Collieries employee, Murthy.
Equally gory was the Volvo bus accident at Palem in Mahbubnagar, in which 45 persons were burnt to death, after it hit the railing of a culvert in Oct. 2013. The glow signs on the railing - meant to alert drivers in darkness - got faded making it almost invisible for the drivers approaching from a distance.
“Radium signals or glow signs help in alerting drivers in the dark but there are far and few on the highways. Is this not negligence?” ask M. Srinivas of Mahbubnagar.
Senior police officials also want the government to instruct vehicle making companies to ensure airbags are default provided, instead of an option. “Airbags would surely reduce chances of drivers and passengers getting injured. For some reason, the car companies are allowed to get away. The government should act on such vital public safety issue,” they say.
It is also pointed out that deaths of Telugu Desam leader Lal Jan Basha in road accident near Narkatpalli of Nalgonda in August, 2013, YSRC MLA Sobha Nagi Reddy in road accident in Kurnool in April this year and film producer Janakiram recently at Akupamula in Nalgonda could have been avoided if they had worn seat belts. Strict compliance on this aspect will save lives.
