Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Road Accidents in Himachal Pradesh: In the wake of recent road accidents in Himachal Pradesh, it has come to light how unsafe is the traffic movement in this hill state.
Amongst three hill states in north, including, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal has recorded highest incidence of road accidents with an average of three deaths per day, according to official data.
According to a report in hindustantimes.com, the survey conducted by traffic, tourist and railways (TTR) wing of the state quoted that around 5,503 lives were lost in over 13, 740 road accidents in the past five years. Himachal Pradesh stands at 22nd spot in the annual Road Accidents report published by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
Annually, around 3,000 people lose their lives in road mishaps in Himachal Pradesh, while 105 were killed in around 200 accidents reported in the state per month.
Probable causes of unsafe traffic
- Citizens Defying traffic rules drivers under influence of intoxicating substances
- Uneven construction of roads and their poor maintenance
- Poor pedestrian infrastructure
- Adverse weather conditions also contribute in the number of accidents as it often leads to landslides
- Lack of provision of crash barriers, parapets on outer curves
- Overloaded vehicles
In addition to these, poor maintenance of the roads is a major contributor in road accidents. Often due to inclement weather conditions sudden landslides occur disrupting road journeys. Due to less number of bus routes plying on roads, sometimes buses far exceed the number of passengers leading to dangerous journeys,
As quoted by Hindustan Times, Director general of police Sanjay Kundu said, “Critical analysis of the road traffic accidents (RTAs) database for the last 5 years has been carried out to identify black spots, clusters, stretches, causes, timings and collision types for working out specific remedies. Adding on further, he also said that measures like rectification of black spots, establishment of more crash barriers, reflective clothing by pedestrians, strict enforcement of traffic rule, are being taken to curb the incidence rate.
