Principal Secretary (Transport and R & B) Sumita Dawra has expressed concern over growing number of road accidents, particularly on the National Highways, and underlined the need for taking all out measures to reduce them.
The Principal Secretary released a poster on ‘Road Safety’, brought out in connection with the 28th National Road Safety Week, in the presence of Deputy Transport Commissioner S. Venkateswara Rao and RTO A.H. Khan, here on Thursday.
The number of road accidents, which occurred in AP during 2016 was 27,678 and the deaths were 7,836. The corresponding figures for Visakhapatnam district was 2,000 and 600. Of these, 40 per cent of deaths were occurring on the highways. Safety interventions were planned for the highways in view of this, Mr. Venkateswara Rao said.
A report on the safety interventions required would be prepared, with the help of the Civil Engineering students of the Andhra University College of Engineering (AUCE), and sent to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for its approval and implementation. The target was to reduce road accidents and deaths by at least 40 per cent, he said.
During the Road Safety Week celebrations, the emphasis would be on educating the public on the importance of shifting accident victims to a hospital during the ‘Golden Hour’ (the first hour after the occurrence of an accident) to minimise the risk of death. Good Samaritans, who immediately inform the hospital or the authorities concerned, would be given protection, in accordance with the guidelines of the Supreme Court, and anyone harassing them in the name of eliciting information would be taken to task.
The DTC said two publicity vehicles were launched and they would tour all over the district during the week to create road safety awareness among the public.
On imposition of ‘helmet rule’, he said there was 60 per cent compliance in the district and measures would be taken to ensure 100 per cent implementation. He said 28 of the 100 deaths involved two-wheeler riders.
