Since January, road mishaps have claimed 174 lives across Vijayawada

VIJAYAWADA: According to City Traffic Records Bureau ( CTRB ) data, in last six months i.e from January 1 till June 30, 174 people have lost their lives in fatal road accidents across Vijayawada commissionerate limits.

The data has also revealed that as compared to the corresponding period in 2018, there has been a marginal decrease in road mishaps by 2% and a substantial decrease in injuries caused by them to 18%

Interestingly, a majority of the accidents this year have been reported on the Chennai-Kolkata NH-16 highway. Of the total accidents, around 176 of the injuries have been categorized as ‘serious’ while the rest are considered to be ‘minor’ injuries. The data further claims that around 70% of fatal accident victims in the city were two-wheeler riders who were riding without a helmet.

The 6-month break-up of accident data during both 2018 and 2019 further reveals that most numbers of accidents have occurred in the month of January and May as both months are known for their extreme weather conditions - be it hot or cold.

According to the traffic police department, the highways have become more dangerous for commuters even to begin an early morning journey across Vijayawada. The data also asserts that the number of accidents happening between 6 am to 9 am are more as compared to the rest of the day. Traffic police department explained that this trend is normal across all seasons, however, foggy weather plays a significant role in road mishaps between December and January.

With two national highways passing through the city, the night traffic has also witnessed a substantial increase in accidents. Recent accidents on highways show a dangerous trend of drivers falling asleep behind the wheels while black spots or accident-prone areas are the major contributors for mishaps happening within the city.

While the city roads have been plagued by road engineering issues, commuters travelling in the suburbs and some of the city arterial roads struggle due to lack of street lights. Areas like Christurajupuram in Gunadala , Poranki , Kanuru , Tunnel Road and Nidamanuru-Poranki road are some of the dangerous roads to ride a two-wheeler on.

Moreover, the city police have rectified around 139 black spots in a span of one year, but new ones keep cropping up with due to various infra works taking place simultaneously.