Traffic rules violations: Telangana govt earns Rs 100-crore revenue

Hyderabad: Telangana government recorded over Rs 100-crore revenue in 2019 thanks to traffic violations. The police served challans and imposed fines for over-speeding, using mobile phones while driving, jumping traffic signals, causing accidents, etc., according to the Motor Vehicle (MV) Act. As per the latest data, as many as 5,539 people died in road accidents in 2019 so far. Vehicle drivers in the majority of cases were not aware of the safety precaution measures and rules, officials said.

The data further reveals that 19,538 road accidents took place in 2019, where 20,100 got severe injuries. It boils down to the fact that Telangana witnessed 58 road accidents every 24 hours, where 16 died every 24 hours. Youngsters and middle-aged constitute the majority who died in road accidents. With such devastating data, Telangana figures among then ten worst states in terms of road accidents in India.

The number of deaths is alarmingly high in Telangana. The state recorded deaths of 18 per day in road accidents in 2018, witnessing 22,230 accidents, 6,600 deaths, and 23,600 injured. With 29.7 points, Telangana stood eighth in terms of road safety in India. At least 30 deaths per 100 accidents took place in Telangana. The number of deaths may be less by 2-5 during the past three years, but the fatality rate is alarming.

“There is no specific allocation in making roads safer. With a lack of staff, the Road Safety Authority is unable to fulfil its responsibility. Meanwhile, corporations are working on roads. We need a plan and its execution at the state-level to make our roads safer for drivers and pedestrians,” said a senior official.

The National Highways in the state witnessed more accidents, with the State Highways accounting for half of them. The officials also identified that there are no clear separate lanes for local and long-distance traffic in districts.