Drivers succumb to lure, cause mishaps; error results in fatal accidents

Rajahmundry: Driver error is one of the main reasons for a series of road accidents claiming commuters' lives in the state. There are several private companies here, operating a huge fleet of buses over long distances as contract carriages which carry out breath analysis tests on the driver at the point of origin of the journey. But it’s en route that drivers get tempted as a large number of liquor retail outlets are located all along both the national and state highways.

Both the road transport and police authorities, who carry out breath analysis tests at select points along the highways on a regular basis, have found the number of cases to be rising. For instance, the road transport authorities in West Godavari say that every week, they are booking 200 to 300 drunken driving cases, and these are not drivers of only cars, but buses, lorries, auto rickshaws and two wheelers too.

The Road Transport authorities also check buses at toll plazas to ascertain whether they have been paying their taxes promptly, when the last road worthiness test was carried out, any deviation in number plate display and other such lapses. They say that a majority of long distance buses were being maintained well as any discomfort to commuters would mean loss of business to a competitor.

West Godavari transport deputy commissioner Prabhuraj Kumar said, “We have a very limited number of private bus operators, operating over long distances and we keep a watch on how well maintained these buses are, their fitness for the road and the condition of the driver.”

East Godavari transport deputy commissioner Krishna Mohan told this newspaper, “Private bus operators with a large fleet maintain their buses well as they want to attract more commuters. However, at times, accidents do happen when the driver drives under the influence of alcohol and at high speeds. So, regular checking of drivers and imposing curbs on speeding will help minimise road accidents.”