It is not just rash driving, but roads without signage that kill people.
The death of a roadside eatery owner, N. Prakash, at Chandrayanagutta a few days ago is a case in point. The 52-year-old victim had started from his house at B.N. Reddy Nagar on his bike for his food joint at Falaknuma early in the morning. While passing through Omer Hotel junction at Chandrayanagutta, he fell into a nala abutting the main road. According to police, passers-by, finding his bike in the water, pulled him out. By then, Prakash was dead.
His family members lodged a complaint with police, alleging that the absence of signage near the nala had led to the accident.
A criminal case under Section 304-A (rash or negligent act resulting in death) of the IPC was registered against the contractor as well as the civic authorities. Investigators maintain that the bad condition of roads in the locality killed at least five persons in the last two years.
“Digging the road on different pretexts and not taking precautions to alert commuters about ditches caused a spree of fatal accidents,” says Chandrayanagutta Inspector A. Srinivasa Rao. Ditches and potholes apart, lack of lighting and absence of radium signals on medians are also contributing to accidents.
“The public know only about the fatal accidents caused by bad roads. Hundreds of accidents leading to critical injuries go unnoticed,” says Amarender Reddy of Chatrinaka. Drivers tend to slam on brakes on seeing a pothole to avoid damage to vehicles.
“On sudden application of brake, those following from behind run into vehicles, resulting in fatal accidents,” he says.
Not all the injured or families of victims pursue accident cases as in the case of Prakash.
Medians are helpful not only in streamlining the flow of vehicles but also in minimising accidents. However, accidents happen as no reflective stickers or signs are pasted on dividers. Or, they are in a broken state.
