Hyderabad: Traffic congestion may be the order of the day in the IT corridor on weekdays, but as per the data released by the Cyberabad traffic police, maximum number of fatal accidents occur on Sundays. A.R. Srinivas, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), said, “There are two reasons for this — people tend to violate signals and drive in a rash and negligent manner due to the lean traffic. And there are fewer traffic police on the road on holidays.” He added that people are also found to drive under the influence of alcohol on holidays.
Malcolm D. Wolfe, the president of Roadkraft, an NGO, said, “Due to leaner traffic on Sundays, people do not have control over their speed. So, they are prone to accidents.”Though the death toll declined from June to August, the number shot up to 77 in September. “These incidents usually take place on internal roads and the rise in the death toll is attributed to rash driving and drunken driving. We are striving to decrease the number of deaths.”
Compared to last year, there has been a significant decrease in the number of fatal accidents. As of September 30, 545 fatal accidents occurred in the Cyberabad area and 583 persons died. In 2016, 799 fatal accidents occurred and 845 deaths were reported. Traffic congestion is a major problem in the IT corridor during the peak hours between 6 pm and 9 pm. Men in the age group of 25 to 35 years are the prime victims of accidents. The death toll is highest in the Rajendranagar division followed by the Madhapur division.
Lorry drivers and motorcyclists cause the most number of accidents and pedestrians and cyclists are the victims. “Pedestrians are unmindful of speeding vehicles,” said Mr Srinivas. Meanwhile, there has been a slight fall in the number of fatal accidents on Outer Ring Road (ORR). This may be attributed to the reduction of the speed limit, stringent patrolling and use of speed laser guns. On the Bengaluru National Highway, 65 fatal accidents took place, claiming 71 lives. “We have taken note of the increasing number of incidents and have implemented engineering corrections apart fr-om placing barricades,” added Mr Srinivas.
