RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh saw 17.75 per cent decline in road accidents and 9.13 per cent drop in accidental deaths in 2020, police said on Wednesday.
The number of accidents and deaths came down last year largely due to the restrictions imposed on vehicular movement during the coronavirus-induced lockdown and traffic management by police, it was stated.
"As many as 4,546 people lost their lives and 10,478 suffered injuries in 11,431 road accidents in 2020," the data released by the police stated.
According to the data, as compared to 2019, the state witnessed a decline of 17.75 per cent in accidents, 9.13 per cent in accidental deaths and 19.95 per cent in injuries.
However, the state saw a rise in accidental deaths in February, August, September, October, November and December in 2020, compared to 2019 during these months, it said.
"The statistics suggest that road accidents increased after the COVID-19 lockdown was lifted," said R K Vij, special director general of police (planning and provisioning/ Technical Services).
Less number of accidents were reported between March and July during the lockdown, he said, adding that the police's traffic management also helped in bringing down such incidents.
In compliance with the instructions of Inter- departmental Lead Agency, necessary modifications were carried out at several accident-prone spots and stretches in districts such as Bilaspur and Korba, he said.
In order to create awareness among people about traffic rules, a statewide traffic awareness and road safety week will be observed from January 18, the official said.
Last year, Raipur, Gariaband, Dhamtari, Bemetara, Mungeli, Dantewada, Sukma, Bijapur and Narayanpur districts witnessed rise in accidental deaths, it was stated.
As per the data, the rate of fatalities fell in Balodabazaar, Mahasamund, Durg, Balod, Rajnandgaon, Kabirdham, Bilaspur, Korba, Janjgir-Champa, Raigarh, Gaurela-Pendra- Marwahi, Surguja, Korea, Balrampur, Surajpur, Jashpur, Kanker and Kondagaon.
Speeding, wrong-side driving, drunk driving, driving without helmet or seat belt and parking violations were some of the causes for accidents.