Hyderabad: Over 1 lakh drivers fined in 2018, people still drive on wrong side

Hyderabad: Road safety is constantly being compromised for citizens of the state capital. Every day accidents are recorded, some minor ones even going unmarked. Breaking traffic rules is the single reason for the avoidable number of injuries and fatalities - speeding, dangerous driving, under-age drivers, signal jumping and driving on the wrong side of the road.

Last year, 54,685 cars were booked for speeding and dangerous driving and a whopping 1,28,058 for driving on the wrong side of the road, a flagrant violation. There were 4,176 cases booked for minors driving. “Road No. 1, Himayatnagar, and Liberty crossroad which has six lanes sees a lot of speeding and this is the main cause of the accidents,” says Mr Raja, a tea vendor of the locality.

On the Narayanguda flyover it is not uncommon to see RTC buses breaking the red light, an alarming flouting of the rules for which there should be a severe penalty. The stretch from Chikkadpally to Musheerabad is chaotic because most drivers don't follow any rules.

“They break the signal here. Two-wheelers drive on the wrong side. People have no patience, no one is willing to wait for the signal. They are not able to understand how fatal this can be,” said Mr Md Jaffer, a travel agent in Abids.

“From Lakdikapul to Hotel Dwarka, Metro Rail pillars divide the road, then a bridge. There are speeding vehicles and we see almost every day something or the other on this road; accidents have become common,” says Pasha, a mechanic.

Rajaiah, a lime-soda vendor identifies the Ashok Nagar crossing at night time and early morning as a major hazard with vehicles speeding or driving on the wrong side of the road.

“At the Liberty signal we see fast moving vehicles which are coming from Tankbund. Here someone breaks the signal or tries to take a wrong turn and gets hit,” says Mr Sailesh who works at a tyre repair shop.