Hyderabad: As many as 271 motorists died last year in the city due to speeding and the failure to wear a helmet.
Over 2439 accidents were reported in 2019, in the three Commissionerate divisions of the city — Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Rachakonda.
During the previous year, 43 percent of fatal accidents occurred due to speeding while this year has seen a ten percent increase.
The sustained growth in the number of vehicles over the past few years, especially after the city’s transformation into an IT Hub, poses a challenge for the city’s traffic department. That too, when it comes to ensuring the smooth flow of around 61.48 lakh vehicles (as of June 30, 2019) in both the Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy Districts.
The road accidents reported in the last month reveal that over speeding is the major reason for the death of 21 motorists in the city.
In the month of January 2020, 14 motorcycle riders and 8 pedestrians have died in road accidents. Out of 14 motorcycle riders, 12 riders including 3 riders were not wearing helmets.
In its battle against drunken driving for road safety, the Hyderabad Traffic Police booked 2254 errant drivers under the influence of alcohol. During a trial on Tuesday, the Nampally Criminal Court sentenced rule-violating drivers to 1-11 days of imprisonment for 290 drivers while also suspending the driving licenses three such offenders.
Below is a breakdown of the percentage of accidents that have been caused by various traffic violations.
Hyderabad Traffic Police advise the motorists to avoid over speeding and drive vehicles under permitted speed limits to reduce accidents which occur mainly due to human error. Further, the traffic department suggests the motorcycle riders wear a standard helmet which is mandatory under sec 129 of MV Act-1988.
CAUSE WISE PERCENTAGE OF FATAL ACCIDENTS – 2019
- OVER SPEED – 53%
- RASH & NEGLIGENCE – 28%
- WRONG SIDE DRIVE – 3%
- ROAD ENG. DEFECTS – 2%
- MINOR DRIVING – 4%
- DRUNK & DRIVE – 6%
- CELL PHONE DRIVING – 3%
- OTHER CAUSES – 1%