If you commute regularly on the Outer and Inner Ring road, or the GT Karnal Road, or Mathura Road, be careful.
Be very careful.
You may not only be heading to bumps, pot holes, crashed and toppled vehicles, but also impending road disaster.
According to Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner, traffic police, are three of the worst 10 roads in Delhi—the most accident prone.
Till August 15 this year, Delhi witnessed 1059 accidents results in 1086 deaths. The number—higher than the total number of people who have lost lives in terrorist attacks in the Capital since 1990.
Out of the total number of 1059 registered fatal accidents in the capital till August 15, the worst 10 roads have accounted for 317 accidents with an average of one death per accident.
The worst roads are Inner ring road with 100 fatal accidents recorded between January 1 and August 15 2012; Outer ring road has witnessed 57 accidents; GT Karnal road—34, Rohtak Road —36, Mathura Road—19; National Highway-8—18 Mehrauli Badarpur Road—16, Wazirabad Road—14, National Highway-24 —10 accidents; and Road number 56 that connects National Highway-24 to ISBT Anand Vihar—13.
The Capital is home to over 70 lakh vehicles, including 20 lakh cars and an equal number of motorcycles.
An estimated 1200 vehicles are added to its roads each day.
The total length of roads is around 29,000 km. The traffic peaks during the commercial hours.
In 2009, the accidents reached the peak when 2272 accidents claimed 2375 lives.
In 2010, the number came down to 2104 accidents and 2153 deaths.
In 2011 there were 2007 accidents and 2066 deaths.
Garg claims that in 2012, the accident figures would come down by 20 per cent.
He says, “People drive more carefully when they see police presence at traffic intersections. We have ensured increased visibility of cops at these spots.”
Fatal accidents don’t generally occur during the day time when the traffic is choc-a-bloc, but during lean hours when there is an opportunity for the drivers to over speed.
Drunken driving is the most common reason for accidents in the capital.
As a precautionary measure, the traffic police department has got ‘rumbling strips’ and speed breakers installed on majority of these roads to bring down the risk.
Garg adds, “These roads have problems like inadequate number of foot over bridge and underpasses. Since we don’t have budget allocation or a mandate for carrying out these projects, we appraise the local governing body of the requirements.”
According to figures available with The Sunday Standard, 4514 people have been sent to jail for drunken driving between January 1 and August 15. In the same period, licenses of 745 people have been suspended.
“Since jail terms are being given for drunken driving, accident figures have come down.”
There are patches of improvement. Aurobindo and Barapullah Roads have seen a drastic downfall in the number of accidents. Between January and August, 2012, only one accident has taken place on Aurobindo Road, as compared to nine last year.
There hasn’t been a single accident on the Barapullah Road in 2012.