COIMBATORE: Coimbatore district recorded a total of 3,983 road accidents in 2022, including 1,083 accidents in the city, according to the data released by the police. Of this, 951 fatal accidents were recorded in the district in which 258 were reported in the city. The police said over 1,000 persons could have died, including 267 in the city.
As per the data released by the district (rural) police, 2,900 accidents took place in Coimbatore (Rural) in 2022, 693 out of which were fatal accidents. The police didn’t release the exact death tally from rural Coimbatore but said, over 700 people were killed in road accidents in 2022 in rural Coimbatore.
The police department has started implementing preventive measures to bring down the number of road accidents in 2023. They have also identified 129 accident black spots across the district.
Superintendent of Police V Badrinarayanan attributed the fatal accidents to speeding, and rash and negligent driving. “We have identified 83 accident black spots and are working with transport and highway officials to reduce fatal accidents. Meanwhile, we are conducting a detailed study on black spots by roping in engineering students who are experts in road designs to modify the places which face frequent accidents,” he said. The SP further said the road safety committee has approved a tender to set up 12 traffic signals in rural areas.
In the city, police have identified 46 accident black spots and have started preventive measures like installing barricades, stationing police personnel for vehicle checks.
A traffic wing official said, “Majority of the accidents take place between 9 am and noon and between 6 pm and 9 pm. As a result of the special checks at the black spots, we have witnessed a decrease in fatal accidents. Placing barricades will help to control speed and avoid accidents in long stretches.”
As per NCRB data, as many as 1,062 accidents were reported in 2019 in the city and 707 accidents were reported in 2020. Similarly, in 2021, a total of 866 accidents were reported. Sources from the district road safety committee said lack of preventive measures and road infrastructure are the major reasons for an accident rate hike and these issues were raised in the recent road safety committee meeting.