Hyderabad: Failure to enforce the rule to install Speed Limit Devices (SLD) on vehicles in Telangana per the directions of the Supreme Court and improper implementation of it in AP is leading to a rise in road accidents and deaths, international traffic expert Dr Kamal Soi said here on Friday.
Speeding is responsible for 40% to 50% of road accidents in Telangana. Fitting quality speed governing devices will help in bringing down road accidents, he added.
A National Crime Records Bureau report said that 7,110 deaths were reported in Telangana and 8,297 deaths in Andhra Pradesh in 2015. In AP in 2015 there were 21,252 road accidents in which 22,948 people were injured.
Dr Kamal Soi said that the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety had directed all states and Union Territories to strictly ensure implementation of the regime and standards and separate approvals for SLDs for different kinds of vehicles.
“States like Karnataka, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Assam and Kerala have already started enforcing SLDs. Vehicles which are fitted with SLDs are being issued fitness certificates in all the above states. Speed Governor Policy is crucial for road safety. The Andhra Pradesh government has failed in regulating fly-by-night SLD manufacturers who are installing uncertified SLDs on transport vehicles,” he adds.
He also alleged that the Telangana transport department seems to be turning blind towards the fact that agents and Motor Vehicle Inspectors are still granting fitness certificates to commercial vehicles which does not have speed governors. This is because no instructions have been given by the transport department regarding installation of speed governors in Telangana.
“If Telangana and AP doesn’t take action to reduce accidents within three weeks I myself will file a petition against both the states for contempt of Supreme Court directions,” Dr Kamal Soi Member, National Road Safety Council, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways said.
