COIMBATORE: Rash and negligent driving have turned roads in Coimbatore city into death traps even during the night when there is less traffic, data shared by police has revealed.
According to data, 190 night time accidents in which 55 people died were reported in the city from 1 January to 31 August. Most of these accidents occurred between 9 pm and 12 am. The death figure is a cause for police department as officers have been taking several road safety measures to reduce accidents and prevent the loss of lives.
Some of the initiatives include switching off traffic signals and introducing U-Turns and roundabouts, installing pelican signals and pedestrian crossings. Though these measures have brought down accidents to some extent, rash and negligent driving contribute to fatalities at night.
Out of the 190 accidents reported during nighttime, 55 were fatal and 135 were non-fatal. A majority of accidents (103) occurred between 9 pm and 12 am, followed by 43 accidents between 12 am and 3 am, and 44 accidents between 3 am and 6 am, according to the police.
Sources in the police department attribute the high accident rate during nighttime to increased traffic after peak hours, with more people returning home and heavy vehicles, buses, and load vehicles leaving the city. They also blamed rash driving by youngsters as a contributing factor. Social media is full of posts of several groups of youngsters racing on flyovers, arterial stretches, and Racecourse during night.
In response to complaints, police have started cracking down on them and have registered cases. A total of 4,806 cases were booked against those involved in speeding in the last eight months. Of these, the West sub-division alone has registered 4,211 cases, said police.
V Balakrishnan, Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore city, said, “We have taken several measures to prevent road accidents in the city. However, rash and negligent driving continues to claim lives. Based on this, we have taken action against those involved in nighttime bike races and continue to identify people who encourage such violations by posting their racing videos on social media. To prevent such activities on flyovers, we plan to close flyovers during nighttime hours after the traffic reduces.”
In the last eight months, six accidents were reported on three flyovers - 100 Feet Road, Gandhipuram, and Tiruchi Road - resulting in three deaths. Based on the findings, the police plan to close these flyovers after 11 pm.
Accident rate declines
According to sources, overall 794 accidents (including night incidents) have been reported in the city between January 1-August 31. These accidents resulted in the death of 199 people, and left 685 injured in 599 non-fatal accidents. During the same period last year, the fatal accident percentage declined from 62% to 47%.