VIJAYAWADA: At the one-day workshop on road safety held in Vijayawada on Friday, it was revealed that there was a significant fall in the number of deaths caused as a result of road accidents from last year. In 2017, 8,111 people lost their lives due to road accidents, while in 2018, the figure has come down to 7,416.
There was a fall in the number of accident cases registered in the State as well with 22,607 cases being reported last year and 19,928 cases this year. This was possible only because of the widespread awareness campaigns organised by Road Safety Awareness Committees.
However, the State was ranked the tenth most dangerous in the country in terms of road safety while Telangana was ranked second.
Addressing the workshop, Transport commissioner N Bala Subrahmanyam said that according to the National Road Safety Committee, 73 per cent of road accidents happen due to the negligence of drivers. There was a need to make drivers aware of traffic regulations and the importance of following them, he said.
The transport department had acquired 481 breath analyzers, 49 speed guns, 13 towing vehicles and other instruments for road repair works with the Rs10 crore the State government allotted to the department as road safety fund, he added.
“In most cases, drivers in the age group of 18 to 35 become the victims of road accidents. Though road accident deaths have reduced in the State, Nellore and Guntur districts still need to pay attention to this as figures in these two districts are still high,” said the Transport commissioner.
Explaining how other countries give importance to road safety, Chief Secretary Anil Chandra Punetha, who attended the workshop as the chief guest, said countries like Norway and Sweden follow strict traffic rules and check whether the drivers are intoxicated and whether they are wearing seat belts and helmets every 15 kilometers on highways.
Former DGP M Malakondaiah, Roads and Building department Principle Secretary Neerabh Kumar Prasad, Home department Principle Secretary AR Anuradha and other officials attended for the workshop.