Telangana police told to identify accident-prone ‘Black Spots’ on national highways
Centre seeks list of accident zones on national highways; Telangana police begin survey
By Sistla Dakshina Murthy
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Hyderabad: The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has written to the State Police Department asking it to identify black spots – areas that are highly prone to accidents – on national highways.
Following this, the police have begun collecting details from each police station jurisdiction.
Identification and analysis of accident zones
Officials said that once these accident-prone locations are identified, their causes will be analysed thoroughly and the details sent to the Centre. Based on these reports, the Union Government will sanction funds to take up necessary rectification measures at those specific stretches.
Telangana ranks 8th in accidents, 9th in fatalities
Telangana is among the States with the highest number of road accidents and fatalities in the country. It stands eighth in terms of accidents and ninth in deaths caused by road mishaps.
Highways in the state are choked with traffic, with over a thousand vehicles passing every hour on busy stretches like the Vijayawada-Hyderabad highway. Traffic is increasing by at least 5 per cent annually, officials noted.
Accidents rise with festival traffic
During festivals and long weekends, vehicular movement surges to almost ten times the normal volume. As traffic density increases, the severity and frequency of accidents also go up.
Last year alone, Telangana recorded 25,934 road accidents, claiming 7,281 lives. A majority of these fatal mishaps occurred on highways, prompting the Centre to focus on improving safety.
Over 930 black spots on national highways
Experts pointed out that not just driver errors but also poor road conditions contribute significantly to accidents. Factors such as narrow roads, unscientific junctions, curves without proper engineering design, and the absence of speed regulation measures lead to mishaps.
Officials revealed that there are already over 930 identified black spots on national highways in Telangana. To address this, plans are in place to implement corrective actions such as widening roads, installing traffic signals, setting up CCTV cameras, and creating speed control mechanisms to reduce accidents.
