The slew of measures initiated by the authorities to check the road accidents appears to have failed to yield the desired results if the spurt in the fatal mishaps is any indication.
Records available with the Visakhapatnam traffic police suggest that there was a 16% increase in road accidents, 25 % rise in deaths and 29 % injuries from January to March this year, when compared to that of the corresponding period last year.
The officials say that accidents involving two-wheelers have topped the chart. Expressing concern over this, Collector K. Bhaskar, during the Road Safety Committee meeting held recently, asked the officials to set up road dividers, speed breakers, railings and put up signboards wherever necessary. The officials have also been instructed to act tough against the drunk drivers.
Negligent driving
According to Transport Department officials, 60 % of the accidents involving two-wheelers had occurred owing to the mistakes by the drivers such as negligence, overspeeding, driving in inebriated conditions.
“Of 100 road accidents recorded, 30 were related to two-wheelers and almost 60 % of them can be attributed to errors committed by the drivers,” Deputy Transport Commissioner (Visakhapatnam) S Venkateswara Rao says, adding that in most the accident cases, the motorists sucumbed to their head injuries before aid arrived.
“Around 70 % of the total accidents caused by negligent driving by youngsters. Overspeeding, driving without wearing helmet are the major cause of accidents involving two-wheelers. In a majority of the cases, the drivers lost control over the wheels after applying sudden brake or negotiating with turns,” Mr Venkateswara Rao added.
‘Appughar-Bheemili stretch most vulnerable’
The Appughar-Bheemili stretch has turned out be a vulnerable patch when it comes to accidents occured owing to erring drivers, say traffic police officials.
A number of cases registered in which triple-riding and overspeeding had led to deaths of motorists, especially youth, after they hit road medians, electric poles, trees on the road side, they say.
Meanwhile, the traffic police claim that a number of initiatives are being taken to check the overspeeding. “The road between Rushikonda and Timmapuram is of S-shape where many accidents occur as motorists lose control on the wheels owing to overspeeding. We have set up a goof number of speed-breakers. Patrolling is also being done on the route daily,” says a senior police officer.
Speed guns installed
At present, the police and Transport Department have engaged five speed guns at vulnerable places in the city and rural areas. Officials say that number of cases are being booked on a daily basis and a heavy penalty is being imposed on the drivers at fault. Road re-engineering works are also being undertaken in many areas.