Hyderabad’s U-Turn Menace with 54 Blackspots Leaves 12 Dead

 Hyderabad: The fate of nearly 30 school students was at stake when an overspeeding car collided with a bus in Kamalapur at Hanamkonda in June, 2024. It was an ordinary morning for the school students of Ekashila High school. However, just one U-turn put their lives in jeopardy.

While the school bus was taking the U-turn, an overspeeding car hit it from behind, leading to the bus overturning. The incident left six people, three of whom were children, injured. Incidents like this underscore how roads in Telangana have become a deadly combination of overspeeding and unsafe U-turns.

According to the Hyderabad police’s road safety department, 22.6 per cent of accidents in Hyderabad and Rachakonda occur near U-turns, with 24.6 per cent being fatal. In 2024 alone, the Hyderabad police identified 54 blackspots, where 11 U-turn-related accidents caused 12 deaths and one injury.

Two-wheelers dominate both ends of these crashes — eight victims were riders, and in at least four cases, the offending vehicle was also a two-wheeler. Self-caused accidents made up 18.2 per cent of these cases.

Danger zones like Shivam Road, Sai Baba Temple, Mohammedia Masjid, and Tarnaka pillar areas have recorded the deadliest crashes, mostly during the day or early mornings, laying more emphasis on negligence in driving and law enforcement.

In Rachakonda Commissionerate, 99 blackspots were identified, with three fatal U-turns on NH-65 alone claiming four lives this year. Between 2022 and 2024, Auto Nagar Main Road, Thorrur X Road, Arunodaya Colony, and Hayathnagar Bus stand witnessed 23 accidents and 13 deaths, with 2024 accounting for six crashes and four fatalities.

Developed with the intention to ease traffic, and save time, safety goes for a toss everyday near u-turns on a Hyderabad road. According to experts, rash lane-switching, lack of manpower, improper signages and an unruly road design have intensified this problem.

Two-wheelers are particularly vulnerable when taking U-turns, often hit by overspeeding vehicles coming from the opposite direction. On multi-lane roads, vehicles face confusion trying to merge or switch lanes due to oncoming traffic.

St John's Road in Secunderabad is an example of this harsh reality. “That road feels like a death trap,” said Latha, a commuter. “Near the Mother Teresa statue, vehicles moving toward Apollo Hospital meet heavy vehicles from the opposite direction, creating chaos for both straight and U-turning traffic.”

Heavy vehicles need more space and time to take U-turns — a fact impatient drivers rarely seem to accept. Adding to the danger is poor maintenance of these bumpy U-turns. In Karmanghat, a broken divider left unrepaired created a pile of debris. This debris reduces u-turn space and increases collision risk, as smaller vehicles nearly become a blindspot for the heavier ones.

Kiran Kumar Goli, the founder of road safety education website Safe Tortoise, said traffic authorities prioritise speed over safety. “We already have flyovers. Why more U-turns? City roads are residential and not designed for this.”

Advocating for more junctions and a mobile traffic police system, he said, “We have modern equipment but lack a modern approach. Bikes were given to officers to move around, but they're not being used to their fullest.”

Hyderabad Traffic DCP Rahul Hegde acknowledged the issue. “Road engineering is a major drawback. We’ve proposed to GHMC to install signages near U-turns to alert drivers.” However, he dismissed the idea of permanently posting traffic police at these spots, calling it “a waste of manpower.”