91% of road fatalities in TS due to overspeeding: SC panel

Hyderabad: Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre, the chairman of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety (CoRS), on Sunday said 91 per cent of road fatalities in Telangana occur due to overspeeding.

Justice Sapre, during his visit here on Saturday, convened a meeting on road safety to review measures taken up by the state. He expressed concern over road accident fatalities and fatality rates in Telangana in 2021.

Detailed PowerPoint presentations were made to the CoRS chairman on safety measures taken up by the Telangana government with regard to rectification of black spots, measures taken on Outer Ring Road and in the GHMC area, and the trauma care centers, a press release said.

Though countries like China, Japan, and Germany see a higher number of accidents, the fatalities are only a few thousand whereas in India, about 1.5 lakh people are killed every year in road accidents. In the recent audit conducted by CoRS with the help of consultants, it was reported that the road safety situation in Telangana needs further improvement.

Justice Sapre further said that wearing helmets and seat belts can ensure 100 per cent safety and if overspeeding is controlled, road-related fatalities will be greatly reduced. He said the aim should be to bring down road accident fatalities to zero in the state.

Meanwhile, the CoRS chairman was informed that during a recent meeting held by the chief secretary, it was decided to allot Rs. 25 crore towards the non-lapsable Road Safety Fund.