VIJAYAWADA: By the introduction of ‘No Accident Day’ by the Krishna district police in August, incidents of fatal road accidents have reduced by 30 per cent in the district. According to statistics obtained from the Krishna district headquarters, only 59 incidents of accidental death were reported in the months of August, September and October as compared to a total of 89 deaths in May, June and July.
Under the initiative, every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, police officials from the ranks of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) to constable in all the five sub-divisions conduct a 10-hour exercise of enforcement drives and counselling to drivers. From 7 am to 7 pm, the police keep watch on the accident-prone roads and black spots under their limits.
“The ‘No Accident Day’ was started in August, for which we planned to conduct drives only twice a week. However, we extended it to thrice a week in response to the good response that we received from the public. Traffic violators are given counselling, without any fine being imposed on them,” said Krishna district SP M Ravindranath Babu. As a part of these drives, teams comprising police and road transport officials are deployed at all the 54 black spots (danger zones), including the national highways, to monitor the vehicular traffic and prevent accidents.
They also suggest repairs to the damaged stretches of black spots. “Soon after implementing this, we observed a remarkable change in the number of road accidents. From 30 deaths on an average per month, the number reduced to below 20, which is around a 30 per cent reduction,” the SP added. Of the five sub-divisions, three - Nandigama, Gudivada and Nuzvid - are more prone to accidents as more number of fatal road accidents are reported on the State and national highways. “In Nandigama, we have identified 28 black spots, followed by 14 in Gudivada and 12 in Nuzvid,” the SP said, adding that repair works are underway at all the danger spots.