Of the 410 fatal accidents that claimed 420 lives in the Millennium City in 2016, as many as 110 were caused due to overspeeding. According to the Gurugram Police, overspeeding is the leading cause of accidents.
Among the other factors causing accidents in Gurugram are crossing of roads at non-designated points, driving on the wrong side and overtaking from the wrong side. Contrary to popular perception, only two accidents were attributed to drunk driving.
Speaking to The Hindu , Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE) president, Rohit Baluja, said that enforcement was the only answer to control overspeeding. Mr. Baluja said that though the Gurugram Police carried out routine drives against violation of traffic rules, it was more important to emphasise on overspeeding. “The police have collected crores as fines, but what is more important is how much of the total enforcement deals with overspeeding. At least, 15 to 20% challans must be for overspeeding,” said Mr. Baluja.
The Gurugram Police data, however, suggests that of the 4,79,208 challans issued during 2016, only 691 vehicles were prosecuted for overspeeding.
Mr. Baluja also stressed on the need to identify spots that see frequent accidents due to overspeeding. “Putting up speed limit signages for different areas like markets, industrial areas, construction zones and highways is crucial. The motorists should know the safe speed limit for a particular area. Signages, however, are missing in most parts of the city,” Mr. Baluja noted, adding that it was important for highways and road authorities to issue challans for overspeeding.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Mamta Kharab, too, conceded that speed limit signages were missing in many parts of Gurugram. “Signages are in place on the highway and speed limits for internal roads are fixed. However, many roads still do not have these signages. Efforts are on to fix them at the earliest,” said Ms. Kharab.
Among the five most accident-prone spots due to overspeeding are the Sirhaul toll, Raj Nagar Mor, Sidhrawali village, Bilaspur village and the Kapriwas T-point. Similarly, Ambedkar Chowk and Subhash Chowk on Sohna Road and Qutab Plaza and Silver Oak traffic signal on the Gurugram-Faridabad road have witnessed accidents due to over-speeding. Also, Bakhtawar Chowk near Sector 46 has seen several accidents because of speeding vehicles.
According to Ms. Kharab, three interceptors have been stationed on the Gurugram-Faridabad Road, Sohna Road and NH-8 with motorists being challaned regularly for overspeeding.
