Hyderabad: Hit-and-run accidents on the outskirts of the city often go undetected, primarily due to poor lighting. A majority of these accidents take place at night, and those responsible for them are either cars or heavy vehicles.
Police officials are unable to identify the vehicles due to lack of CCTV cameras on the roads, as a result of which the perpetrators are able to escape and the victims receive no justice.
Additional DCP, Traffic, Rachakonda, N. Divya Charan Rao, said, “The three main causes of such accidents are speeding, poor lighting, and in some cases, drunk driving. The street lights on the outskirts are very dim, which makes it difficult for people crossing the road to watch out for vehicles approaching at a high speed.”
The victims of hit-and-run accidents have little to no chance of receiving any compensation through vehicle insurance because more often than not it is not known which vehicle caused the accident.
An insurance company usually recovers money from the owner of the vehicle if the compensation amount decided by the court is greater than the liability cover.
In hit-and-run accidents, there is no chance of any recovery from the accused.
Speaking about the lack of cameras and how they circumvent the problem, the official said, “If there are no cameras at the accident spot, we usually use footage from the cameras installed in the surrounding areas to try and identify the accused.”
Most cases go unsolved because of the absence of witnesses or evidence. Ano-ther reason is that many of the vehicles involved in such accidents are from other districts and states, which makes it more difficult for cops to track them down.
“The installation of night vision CCTV cameras on the outskirts is in progress. Though it takes time, we usually identify the vehicles involved in hit-and-run cases,” the officer said.
