Contrary to the misconception that most of the accidents occur at night involving lorries or buses, they take place between 3 pm and 6 pm and a majority of people who die in accidents are bikers who do not use helmets, additional transport commissioner P Srinivas has said.
Speaking at the inauguration of the 25th Road Safety Week at the Road Transport Authority (RTA) office at Khairtabad here on Monday, he said that by following simple precautions like wearing a seat belt, helmet and not using cell phone while driving, most of the accidents can be averted. The Road Safety Week is being observed by the department from January 20 to 26.
Inaugurating the programme, transport commissioner G Anantha Ramu spoke about the measures taken by the department and future plans in ensuring safety of people on the roads. “In some countries pedestrians are given a priority by motorists, which is the not the case here. Transport, police and other enforcement departments need to change some rules and work continuously to ensure road safety. Of course, people should have a mindset to follow rules.”.
Anantha Ramu said most of those who die in accidents are in the productive age group of 25 to 50 years. “Apart from the effect on the family that relies on the person, an accident leads to medical costs, loss of vehicle and other expenses. This needs to be avoided,” he said,
In 2012, a total number of 41,712 accidents took place in the state resulting in 14,975 deaths. The number came down to 33,629 accidents and 10,865 deaths in 2013 (till September), says a press note.
While about 80 per cent of the accidents are due to driver’s fault, only 2 per cent fatalities are due to defects in motor vehicles.
Officials appealed to people to view driving seriously but not as a casual activity.
