Hyderabad: Seven people had died in a head-on collision between a Chevrolet Tavera and a Toyota Innova on National Highway 44 near Komireddipalli in Mahabubnagar district in the early hours of January 7, 2015. Four others were also badly injured. The driver of the Chevrolet lost control, jumped the road divider, and rammed into the Toyota going in the opposite direction.
Fatal accidents like this one have been reported frequently on national highways across TS in recent years. National Crime Records Bureau records show that the highest number of road accident deaths in the last 10 years occurred in 2015, with a staggering 5,493 deaths. Heavy vehicles caused the most number of accidents while pedestrians, two-wheeler riders and four-wheeler occupants were the victims.
Road safety experts say that National Highway 65 to Vijayawada, NH 44 to Bangalore, NH 163 to Warangal, NH 65 to Bombay and the State Highways to Sagar, Srisailam, Bijapur, Rajiv Rahadari and Narsapur are among the most dangerous roads. State police data shows that on NH 44 to Nagpur, 60 fatal accidents occurred on the same 150 km stretch over three months.
Most mishaps occur near approach roads. On NH 65 to Vijayawada, on an average, 75 fatal accidents occurred in three months period. “On this road, bikers and pedestrians jump the dividers and try to cross the road at unauthorised places. The road is so wide that the chances of speeding vehicles mowing them down are high,” says a traffic police official.
