While numerous theories and strategies are being proposed to check road accidents, there is sufficient evidence to claim that strict enforcement of rules does save lives.
For instance, the dramatic fall in the number of fatal road accidents in Hyderabad and Cyberabad police commissionerates due to vigorous enforcement of rules this year is in sharp contrast to the rise in accidents in the neighbouring Ranga Reddy district where drunken driving check is not in place.
Interestingly, even Cyberabad, which has recorded 74 less deaths till November-end compared to the corresponding period last year, registered an increase in road crash deaths in some parts under its jurisdiction.
Cyberabad Traffic DCP Avinash Mohanty admitted that the fatal road mishaps occurred at spots where there was no presence of traffic police or lax enforcement of rules. Areas like Dundigal, Medchal, Petbasheerabad, Maheswaram and Manchal do not have dedicated traffic police stations for regulation of vehicles and drivers even when volumes of traffic are high. Till November-end in 2013, five persons died in road accidents in Manchal, but this year the toll reached 14. The worst case scenario is at Moinabad where six persons died in road accidents last year and now it has clocked 23 deaths.
“If rules are enforced strictly, the road accident rate can be brought down considerably though factors like better road conditions and fitness of vehicles contribute to the fatalities,” says Mr. Mohanty.
The DCP, after having studied several such busy intersections, traffic flow patterns and non-compliance of rules by drivers for a few months, has began to make changes like closure of openings along the median prompting people to crisscross and drive in wrong direction and this has helped check road mishaps.
