Road Safety Wings Remain Non-Functional In Telangana

The 2024 Transportation Research and Injury Prevention (TRIP) report highlighted serious gaps in India’s road safety systems and enforcement. The report also notes that although a road safety entity has been formed in Telangana, no dedicated officer currently operates its teams. It has recently begun holding coordination meetings and conducting corrective drives.

According to TRIP, road traffic injuries were the 13th leading cause of death in India in 2021. The report further highlights that the country’s under-reporting of crash data has not improved since 2013, limiting its ability to design and implement effective plans and policies. TRIP also observed that the system lacks officers of sufficient rank in key positions.

In contrast, road safety wings under police Commissionerate are operational and working on fatal accident cases. Accident Resolution Teams (ARTs) analyse whether the fault lies with the driver or the vehicle and identify blackspots and road defects. “The issues identified on the roads will be written to the district collector, who will then allocate funds for the repair works,” said Manohar, DCP, Road Safety Wing, Rachakonda.

Although the wing does not have an additional CP or joint CP in its structure, it is headed by a DCP, supported by an inspector, sub-inspector, and constables. Reports suggest that postings to the wing are sometimes influenced by administrative or political reshuffles.

“Whenever the government changes, officers who are perceived as close to the previous administration are often transferred to less visible departments such as the Road Safety Wing,” a source said.

Nevertheless, current officers maintain that the wing is functional now. Accident Resolution Teams (ARTs) are active across the three commissionerates, studying fatal crashes and proposing enforcement solutions. “Meetings involving departments such as transport, national highways, traffic, revenue, and GHMC are held every three to four months,” an official said.

However, officers admit that coordination remains a challenge. “Although ART teams identify accident-prone roads and communicate with stakeholders like GHMC and National Highways, there is still excessive paperwork and long waiting periods. Often, by the time repairs are sanctioned and completed, more accidents or deaths have already occurred,” the official added.

The TRIP report also revealed that motorcyclists account for over 52 per cent of Telangana’s road fatalities, with the 25-35 age group being the most affected. While maternal deaths have fallen by 86 per cent since the 1990s, road fatalities have declined by barely 3 per cent.

The report points out that all data on road mishaps is primarily drawn from public documents such as FIRs, indicating that there is no centralised body ensuring the accuracy of records.

Reliable data is essential to monitor accidents and fatalities and to inform policy planning and enforcement. The report concludes by emphasising the urgent need for a record-level crash database to capture detailed information — helping to identify recurring causes of crashes and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.

TELANGANA

Total population: 37.9 million

Urban population: 47.1 per cent

Population density: 339 persons per sq. km

Road Infrastructure

Total length of National Highways (2022): 4,926 km

Road infrastructure composition (2019):

National Highways: 12.1 per cent

State Highways: 6.9 per cent

District Roads: 81.0 per cent

Traffic Injuries as a Public Health Problem

Road traffic crash characteristics (2018–2022)

Year Road traffic deaths per 100,000 population % deaths on National Highways

2018 17.8 31.3%

2019 18.7 35.8%

2020 18.3 38.1%

2021 20.0 36.2%

2022 19.9 39.8%

Female deaths per 100,000: rose from 5.4 (2018) to 6.4 (2022)

Male deaths per 100,000: rose from 29.9 (2018) to 31.8 (2022)

Non-fatal injuries per 100,000: 53.4 in 2022

Road Traffic Deaths (2022) by Age & Sex (%)

Age Group Female Male Total

0–18 yrs 7.5 3.5 4.1

18–25 yrs 9.1 17.2 16.1

25–35 yrs 27.9 27.4 27.5

35–45 yrs 23.9 25.2 25.0

45–60 yrs 11.0 18.4 17.3

60+ yrs 7.8 7.3 7.7

Highest fatality share is reported in the age group between 25–35 group is 27.5%

MoRTH reported deaths in 2022

Pedestrian – 19.3%

Cyclist – 0.9%

2-wheeler – 56.2%

3-wheeler – 4.4%

Car – 7.8%

Truck/tractor – 8.3%

Others – 3.1%

Vehicle ownership

Registered vehicles per 1,000 persons in 2020

2-wheeler: 257.5

3-wheeler: 11.6

4-wheeler: 43.6

Bus: 3.2

Goods vehicle: 12.4

Others: 15.6

Household vehicle ownership (2019–2021):

Bicycle: 24.0%

2-wheeler: 55.3%

Car: 5.2%

Urban households: 66.2% own 2-wheelers

Rural households: 49.4% own 2-wheelers