VIJAYAWADA: With road accidents increasing on the National Highways passing through the State, the transport department with the support of the police have come up with a plan of action to strengthen the patrolling system near the accident-prone areas and prevent sleep deprived drivers from dozing off on the wheels.
The officials conducted a ground-level survey across the State to identify the major reasons behind road accidents and steps that could be taken to reduce the increasing death rate in the State. During their study, they came to know that overspeeding, drunken driving, issues in road engineering were the major reasons for increase in road accident fatalities. Apart from that, the lack of truck lay-bys, amenity centres at every 30 km distance and signs were also seen to have had a major impact.
In all, around 67 persons died and 440 road accidents were reported in the State in the months of September and October.Of the total 440 accidents, 250 were reported on NHs and 42 persons died, official sources claimed. In 2018, around 1,100 accidents were reported in the State between 4 am and 8 am where 882 people died.
This November, a container had fallen into a canal during the early hours of the day, in which both the driver and his assistant died on the spot near Jonnada village in Alamuru mandal of East Godavari district.
“We have revived the initiative of stopping long-distance vehicles on the NH at each district entry point and allowing the drivers to proceed after serving them tea and making sure they have washed their faces. The recent statistics revealed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) stated that most of the accidents between 4 am and 5 am across the State occurred due to human errors,” a senior transport department official told TNIE on the condition of anonymity.
He further said that the department with the support of the NHAI will paste reflective stickers in the accident-prone areas, provide adequate lighting at junctions and diversion boards at an estimated cost of `120 crore. Works in this regard were progressing at district levels, he added.