Visakhapatnam: Strict campaign brings down accident deaths

Visakhapatnam: The strict anti-drunk driving checks and the drives against the various traffic violations has led to drop in road accidents in Vizag region in the first five months in 2017 when compared to corresponding period of the previous year.  

Till May this year, a total of 892 road accidents occurred in Vizag region (city and rural) in which 270 persons lost their lives and 1,020 persons suffered injuries. In 2016 in the same corresponding period, 1,056 accidents had occurred in which 1,041 people sustained injuries and 360 persons lost their lives.

All enforcement work, including the drive against the driving without helmet, seatbelt, valid driving licence and also drunken driving check, in the past few months are the reasons for some reduction in road accidents and deaths due to road accidents.

Apart from the enforcement, the awareness level of motorist due to active campaign by various organisations on road safety has also contributed to reduce the accidents, says deputy transport commissioner S. Venkateswara Rao.

“The number of imprisonment for drunken dri-ving has gone up in Vizag city and so far in 2017, a total of 150 motorists have faced jail term for drunken driving and some motorists have performed traffic duties for the violations. We have been trying to instill fear among the drunken motorists by conducting surprise drives,” said ADCP (Traffic) K. Mahendra Patrudu.

Sources in the police said that regulating the increasing traffic has turned out to be a tough task for them. With Vizag gaining much importance in the state, fewer policemen makes the job even more difficult.

The city traffic police officers say there is an urgent need to increase the staff in the traffic wing to further mitigate the chaos, road-accidents and smart policing as the vehicles are zooming and choking the roads.