To avert mishaps, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will conduct road safety-campaigns across the country.
New Delhi: As per the National Crime Records Bureau, the year 2016 marked the origin of the decline of road accidents in India.
Before 2016, the number of road accidents kept on increasing, but the death rate per thousand vehicles was diminishing. The Sunday Guardian spoke to several traffic cops and road safety officers to understand the ground situation.
“As per my observation, some of the accident-prone areas in Ghaziabad are Vijaynagar, Model Town, Aradhna cut and so forth,” Param Hans Tiwari, Traffic Inspector, Ghaziabad, said. Similarly, other accident-prone areas in Ghaziabad are Lal Kuan, Eastern and Western Peripheral, Mohan Nagar, Loni, Bhopura, and so forth.
During the pandemic, the number of traffic mishaps decreased due to the lockdown. In 2016, the number of road accidents in thousand was 473 which decreased to 445.5 in 2018 and 354.8 in 2020.
However, the rate of death per thousand vehicles between all these years has kept decreasing. The maximum number of fatal accidents was with two-wheelers, which contributed to 43.6 per cent of total road accidental deaths, followed by cars and trucks/lorries. As per the data, Maharashtra accounted for 10.1 per cent and Uttar Pradesh accounted for 9.9 per cent of total deaths due to two-wheelers. Uttar Pradesh also accounted for a large number of death accidents by car and trucks. Car accidents leading to deaths accounted for 18.2 per cent whereas, deaths due to truck accidents accounted for 27.1 per cent.
Asked about the reasons behind the constant increase of road accidents in 2016, Kamlesh Pandey, Circle Officer (Traffic) of Ghaziabad, said, “Before 2016, there were fewer traffic forces, so the violations were more often. However, more traffic forces have been enforced now, so the violation and accidents have decreased.”
“During winter, we add reflectors to help out the drivers. Similarly, the number of speed breakers is increased to control the speed limit of vehicles. Also, there has been some change in the Motor Vehicle Act, fines have increased and there has been a constant rise in police checking to control the traffic speed and the behaviour of the people,” Hari Mohan Singh, CO City and CO traffic, Firozabad, told this newspaper.
A large number of accidents have been reported during January. The data recorded that the road accidents in January contributed to 11 per cent of the total road accidents. To avert road accidents, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will conduct road safety-related campaigns all across the country as a part of the National Road Safety Month, 2022, during the mid-January 2022 to mid-February, 2022.
“The Ministry is in the process of organizing Eye check camps to reduce the traffic accidents. For instance, the ministry will organize eye checkup camps for truck drivers soon. The reports will be provided to the truck drivers and the spectacles will also be provided to them, if necessary,” said Hemant Kumar Sharma, SO(RS), Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The duration of the camps will not be more than seven days at a particular place.
“We have been conducting Yatayat mah in November to drive awareness amongst the autorickshaw drivers,” said Hari.
Similarly, Kamlesh said, “In Yatayat mah, we incorporate several NCC students to help them in spreading awareness about traffic rules and regulations.”
It is important that people must follow traffic signals and follow traffic guidelines specifically during the winter season.
“I request our citizens to wear a helmet and drive only if they have the permit. It is important to control the speed and wear a seat belt while driving four-wheelers. One must forbid drinking and driving,” Hari said.