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NH-16 turns into a death trap

Negligent driving, overspending and driving on the wrong way are the major causes for fatal road accidents
Visakhapatnam: Frequent median openings and lack of effective enforcement to control wrong-side vehiclar movement on the National Highway-16 stretch between Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam is leading to an increase in the number of road accidents in the region.
In a recent accident near Marikavalasa area in Vizag city, 11 persons were crushed to death when a speeding RTC bus rammed into an autorickshaw waiting to pick up passengers when the driver of the bus tried to avert hitting an SUV, which was coming in the wrong way on NH-16. The four-lane 330kms stretch from Icchapuram in Srikakulam district to Vempadu in Vizag district developed by the National Highway Authorities of India (NHAI) witnesses nearly three fatal accidents a day.
ACP (Traffic) Madhurawada, M. Srinivas said that the investigation into the biggest road accident at Marikavalasa in the city on July 20 indicated that it was due to the SUV coming on the wrong side of the NH-16. Negligent driving, overspending and driving on the wrong way are the major causes for fatal road accidents on the NH-16.
Sometimes the parked lorries and other vehicles on the NH-16 have been identified as one more reason for accidents as many died when their cars ram-med into the stationary vehicles on the highway.
Sources in the police said that some motorists have been driving on the wrong way to get on to the main highway, instead of taking a U-turn and because of it, over 30 per cent of fatal accidents have been reporting on the NH-16 stretch in Vizag.
Poorly designed access roads from the adjacent areas of the highway are also leading to frequent conflicts between local traffic (mostly two wheelers) and through traffic (goods vehicles). A senior police officer said that the mishaps on the NH-16 in Vizag leave over 800 people permanently disabled while average of 300 deaths are taking place every year and over 70 per cent of road accidents in Vizag have been taking place on NH-16 only. ADCP (Traffic) K Mahendra Patrudu said they planned to hold a meeting with NHAI and GVMC to explore the possibility of some medians openings.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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