The series of measures being implemented by the City Police to curb road accidents appears to have paid the dividends as the fatalities has seen a drop for the first time in the last three years.
Records suggest that the fatal road accidents has dropped to 300 this year from the 334 reported last year when compared to the 375 in 2016. At the same time, the fatalities also have dropped to 307 form 335 last year. As many as 382 accidental deaths were reported in 2016.
According to the City Police, with the spurt in accidental deaths, the Traffic Department has cracked the whip on the motorists flouting the road safety norms across the year. The stringent enforcement is evident as the cases of motor vehicle enforcements have gone up to 5.18 lakh cases this year when compared to the 3.87 lakh last year and 3.89 lakh cases in 2016.
“The conviction rate in drunk driving cases has gone up by three folds this year. Every month, the number of new vehicles on road goes up by about 20,000 and given the scenario, the drop in fatal accident is significant,” City Police Commissioner Mahesh Chandra Laddha told The Hindu.
Measures taken
As part of a slew of measures taken to curb the road accidents, around 50 new signal lights have been installed in the city with the GVMC funds, apart from 50 solar blinkers set up at non-signal junctions.
Referring to the drunk drive menace, he said about 24,000 erring drivers have been counselled. It’s learnt that the City Police is mulling an action plan, showcasing the traffic issues, various bottlenecks and accident hotspots and submit it to the GVMC and the VMRDA for further action.
Published - December 27, 2018 07:50 am IST
