Notwithstanding enforcement measures and awareness campaigns, recurring instances of road accidents in Tiruchi Range encompassing five districts continues to pose a challenge to law enforcers.
Although there has been an overall drop in fatal and non-fatal accident cases till now in the current year as compared to the corresponding period of the previous year, the number of deaths has already crossed 500 so far in 2019 in the Tiruchi Range comprising of Tiruchi, Pudukottai, Karur, Perambalur and Ariyalur districts remaining a cause for worry.
Karur district tops in the range in respect of fatal accident cases and deaths reported with the figures being 139 and 153 respectively, according to police statistics. Tiruchi and Pudukottai are right behind Karur with the fatalities figures being 125 and 127 respectively so far this year.
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Rising vehicular density coupled with recurring instances of road accidents has remained a challenge for the police personnel who are keen on bringing down accident rate.
What comes as a huge relief for the law enforcers is that barring Karur, the number of fatal accidents and deaths in the remaining districts of Tiruchi, Pudukottai, Perambalur and Ariyalur have come down in the current year till now as compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.
Police statistics reveal that the number of casualties has come down sharply from 211 to 125 in Tiruchi district; from 143 to 127 in Pudukottai district; from 73 to 49 in Perambalur and from 55 to 47 in Ariyalur district. The statistics further points out that the number of deaths so far in the current year had reduced to 501 as compared to 610 during the corresponding period of the previous year.
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While acknowledging that the road accident cases had come down in the Tiruchi Range this year, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Tiruchi Range, V. Balakrishnan said the focus would also be to ensure that non-fatal cases do not turn into fatal ones by shifting the injured to the nearest hospital within the golden hour period.
As a step towards further bringing down the accident rate, the police would be making arrangements to install boards containing prominently the telephone numbers of private ambulances and ambulances of private hospitals apart from 108 ambulance service at accident prone spots.
Law enforcers in each district have identified potential accident spots in their respective jurisdiction. The number of potential accident spots in the range would be about 45 to 50, Mr. Balakrishnan said adding that the process of installing the boards containing the telephone numbers of ambulances had begun in a couple of places.
He said nearly 50% of the police personnel in the range had been trained in first aid with the training also being imparted to auto drivers. The police have decided to reward public who voluntarily come forward and shift the injured to the hospital within the golden hour thereby saving a life, he said.