Fifty-one of the State’s 232 high-risk accident black spots, including the ‘most critical’ one at Pappanamcode Junction on National Highway (NH)-66, is in the district.
The NH-66 stretch in the district and NH-66 Bypass have 34 high-risk black spots (66.67%).
The State Highway(SH)-I extending from Kesavadasapuram to Angamaly and the State Highway-II from Thiruvananthapuram to Shencottah via Nedumangad and Thenmala together have seven (13.72%) and other roads (OR) 10 black spots (19.61%).
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Pappanamcode Junction has the highest district-wise Accident Severity Index (ASI) value of 366 and Ambalathinkara the lowest of 109. The black spots were identified after analysis of the accident-prone stretches during 2016, 2017 and 2018 as per the ASI value of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
Most critical
The Pappanamcode mosque-Kerala Gramin Bank stretch is the ‘most critical black spot’ among the 340 ‘road accident black spots’ in the State. Fifteen people lost lives and 102 sustained fatal and grievous injuries here in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
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The corridor from the Tax Towers to Karamana Junction (ASI 314, 8 deaths and 94 fatal and grievous injuries) and Kodinada Junction-IOC Pump stretch at Balaramapuram (ASI 300, 6 deaths and 92 fatal and grievous injuries) come in the second and third spots.
East Fort and Balaramapuram Junctions also figure in the first 10 high risk spots.
The Overbridge Junction, Statue, Palayam, Vellayambalam, Vattiyurkavu Junction, Kaimanam, Valiathura, Vazhamuttom, Muttathara, Thiruvallom, Killipalam Junction, Karakkamandapam Junction, Vellayani Junction, Pravachambalam, Pallichal, Vedivachankovil, Kuzhivila Junction, Ulloor Junction, Sreekaryam, Kulathoor NH Bypass Junction, Mamom and Attingal figure in the spots.
On SH I, the high-risk black spots are at Paruthipara Junction, Mannanthala Junction, Kilimanoor junction, Gokulam Medical College-Alanthara and Kanyakulangara junction.
The other high-risk black spots are at Pettah Junction, Kazhakuttam, Chakka, Poonthura, Fire and Rescue Services station at Chakka, Paruthikuzhy, 28th Mile, A.J. Hospital Junction, Infosys, Vettucaud, Technopark junction, Thiruvallom Bridge approach and Nalumukku.
Rectification
The Executive Director, Road Safety, Kerala Road Safety Authority (KRSA) T. Elangovan told The Hindu that MoRTH was responsible for the rectification of the black spots on the NH corridors.
In the case of SH and OR corridors, the road owning agencies would have to meet the cost.
The KRSA, he said, would step in if they wanted more funds for improving the identified black spots.
As per the Ministry’s Protocol, a ‘road accident black spot’ is a road corridor of about 500 m in which either five road accidents, involving fatalities and grievous injuries, were reported during the past three calendar years or 10 fatalities during the past three calendar years.