VIJAYAWADA: More than 80 per cent of road accidents reported in Vijayawada in 2022 were due to overspeeding and reckless driving, a report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India-2022, revealed.
According to the study’s findings, Vijayawada witnessed a 25 per cent rise in mishaps as the city reported 1,543 accidents in 2022 as against 1,228 in 2021. On the other hand, the total number of road accidents in the State decreased by 3 per cent in 2022 as 21,070 cases were reported as against 21,556 in 2021. While 8,293 people died in the accidents, 21,340 were injured in 2022.
The report highlighted that most of the road accidents in the city occurred between 6 pm and 9 pm. According to the report, overspeeding was the major cause of road accidents. A 15 per cent surge in fatalities was reported as 418 people lost their lives and 1,367 sustained injuries in 2022.
Upon observing the data, it is noted that the number of accidents were high in June (155), followed by May (149) and August (145). The study also pointed out that most of the accidents were reported on national highways passing through the city. As many as 706 accidents took place on national highways, claiming 623 lives. A total of 676 accidents were reported on city roads and other roads in which 608 people were killed.
“In the majority of the cases, overspeeding and violation of traffic rules were the reasons behind the accidents,” said NTR district commissioner of police Kanthi Rana Tata. The district road safety committee has been focusing on patterns of road accidents and rectifying them in a bid to reduce road mishaps. The committee is also studying the reasons behind the high number of mishaps during particular months, blackspots, and most accident-prone locations.
CP Rana said, “Special enforcement drives are being conducted across the district to sensitise people about the need to follow traffic rules and the consequences they will have to face in case they fail to adhere to the norms. We are implementing a zero-tolerance policy towards overspeeding, drunk driving cases, wrong-way driving and distracted driving (using a mobile phone while driving) as they are dangerous for drivers as well as others.”