1.75 Lakh Die In Road Mishaps Across Country, Telangana 7th With 7,000, Says DGP
Telangana police and transport department have drawn up a comprehensive action plan to reduce road accidents and fatalities, with special focus on seven districts identified among the high-risk districts in the country.
HYDERABAD: In order to control fatal road mishaps across the state, DGP C.V. Anand on Wednesday held a state wide video conference with officials of seven districts and identified 48 accident-prone corridors, 230 high-risk locations flagged Electronic Detailed Accident Report (e-DAR) to capture accident data and focus on reducing fatalities with zero fatality target set.
Anand disclosed “more than 1.75 lakh people die in road accidents every year in the country, while Telangana records more than 7,000 road accident fatalities annually, ranking seventh in the country in terms of road accident deaths.”
Telangana police and transport department have drawn up a comprehensive action plan to reduce road accidents and fatalities, with special focus on seven districts identified among the high-risk districts in the country.
The plan follows the directions of the centre and the Supreme Court to identify 100 districts across the country witnessing a high incidence of road accidents and undertake targeted interventions to bring down fatalities.
Anand directed officials to analyse the causes of accidents in the identified districts and formulate district-specific measures aimed at achieving a ‘zero fatality’ objective.
Anand and transport commissioner Ilambarithi held a video conference from the DGP’s office here on Wednesday to review the proposed interventions.
Representatives of the SaveLife Foundation, collectors of the seven identified districts, police commissioners of four commissionerates and other unit officers participated in the meeting.
Accident-prone locations to be mapped
DGP called for comprehensive data on road accidents and fatalities, accident-prone stretches, causes of crashes and the time periods during which accidents occur to be recorded on the Margadarshak portal and dashboard.
He said systematic analysis of the available data would help identify accident-prone locations and enable the authorities to take targeted corrective measures. Officials were also asked to examine road conditions, engineering deficiencies and other factors contributing to accidents.
Seven districts and 48 critical corridors were identified and road safety action plans have been prepared for Medchal-Malkajgiri, Rangareddy, Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri, Sangareddy, Hanamkonda, Warangal and Jangaon districts.
According to the plans prepared by the `Save Life Foundation` based on e-DAR data for 2024 and 2025, 48 critical road accident corridors, 230 Priority-1 locations where four or more fatalities were recorded, 220 traffic violation locations and 183 critical pedestrian accident spots have been identified across the seven districts.
Sangareddy accounted for the highest number of critical corridors at 14, Rangareddy district had 98 Priority-1 accident locations, 99 traffic violation locations and 66 pedestrian accident-prone spots.
The DGP directed officials to accord priority to these locations and implement measures based on the specific causes of accidents.
The police department will adopt the ‘4E’ approach — Education, Engineering, Enforcement and Emergency Support — to improve road safety, Anand said.
He stressed the need for greater awareness among road users, correction of road and engineering deficiencies, strict enforcement of traffic regulations and prompt emergency medical assistance to accident victims.
The authorities were asked to ensure that injured persons receive emergency medical care without delay, while deficiencies in road design and infrastructure that contribute to crashes are identified and rectified.
Transport commissioner K. Ilambarithi instructed officials to ensure that every road accident is recorded on the e-DAR platform. Details of accidents and injured persons should also be uploaded on the Margadarshak portal. Geo-tagged photographs of accident locations can be uploaded on the portal’s dashboard, enabling officials to monitor and assess accident-prone locations more effectively.
Ilambarithi also briefed the meeting on road safety interventions being implemented in other states. Anand said the government was taking steps to establish a road, and rail safety management bureau under the police department to strengthen road safety measures.
The state’s road safety initiatives and the action plan prepared to reduce fatalities will be presented at a meeting scheduled to be held in Chennai on November 3 by the Telangana chief secretary and the DGP.