Fatalities in road accidents in Coimbatore have decreased by 14 % this year, said P. Perumal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic), here on Saturday.
The number of accidents so far this year was 101 compared to 126 cases during the corresponding period in 2018, he said while inaugurating a free helpline service for ambulance services at Freedom Institute of Medical Sciences (FIMS) Hospitals at Sundarapuram.
Mr. Perumal attributed the decrease in fatalities to awareness programmes conducted by the police. However, he noted that the deaths due to road accidents is still higher than deaths due to suicide and other causes, a press release said.
“Most of the victims are two-wheeler riders and their deaths were due to serious head injuries as the riders did not wear helmets,” Mr. Perumal said, urging the public to wear helmets and adhere to traffic rules. He said that the public must use public transportation whenever possible as the number of vehicles are increasing in the city.
Along with the helpline, a 24-hour Orthopaedic and Trauma Centre was also inaugurated at the hospital. S. Murugadass, Chairman, FIMS Hospital; K. Sakunthala, Managing Director, FIMS Hospital and Santosh Sekar, Director, Orthopaedics and Trauma Centre, FIMS Hospital were present during the inauguration event.
According to the release, those residing within seven-km. radius of the hospital can avail the ambulance services free of cost by contacting 8300 108 108.
A bike rally by the employees of FIMS Hospital was taken out to create awareness on wearing helmets. A total of 500 free helmets were distributed to the residents of Sundarapuram, according to the release.
