CM Naidu Mandates Third-Party Audit For Every Road Accident
The CM expressed concern over the death of 6433 people in 15,462 road accidents so far this year: Reports
VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has mandated a third-party audit for every road accident in Andhra Pradesh.
Presiding over a meeting of the state road safety council at the secretariat on Wednesday, he said the audit would aim to pinpoint whether accidents result from vehicle faults, driver error, or road engineering deficiencies. Such an analysis would ensure initiation of preventive measures.
The CM expressed concern over the death of 6433 people in 15,462 road accidents so far this year.
Officials informed the chief minister that one-third of the accidents related to two-wheelers, and 53 per cent to cars and two-wheelers. The state stands at the eighth place in road accidents.
Naidu directed the officials to study the reasons for the larger number of accidents in Nellore, Tirupati, Palnadu, Annamaiah and Kakinada districts. “Of the total accidents, 79 per cent occurred due to over-speed, three per cent for wrong side driving, and one per cent due to use of mobile phones while driving.
Some 42 per cent of these accidents occurred on national highways and 21 per cent on state highways.
The CM directed the officials to arrange speed governors as per the rules. “Set up CC cameras every half-km distance on both national and state highways,” he said.
As per Supreme Court guidelines, steps should be taken to prevent accidents. “Modern driving training centres should be set up, including in Adoni and Darsi. Make corrections to the black spots identified at 680 places on national highways,” the CM asked the officials.
He also wanted the officials to act tough on unauthorised alteration of sleeper buses, which are paving the way for a large number of accidents. A study should be conducted on the registration of buses in eastern states. Officials must write to the Centre on the sleeper buses in AP carrying the permits of Eastern states.
“Warn those who violate rules for the first time, to spread awareness among vehicle users,” he said.
Automated testing centres, he said, should be set up to ascertain the fitness of vehicles. State and district-level road safety programmes should be organised on the third Sunday of every month.
The Chief Minister sought cooperation of the police, transport and engineering departments to prevent road accidents.
