Road fatalities have decreased on Hyderabad-Vijayapura highway: Study

Hyderabad: The rate of road crash deaths on the 118-km Hyderabad-Bijapur (Vijayapura) corridor has come down by around 38 percent, according to a study “Road Safety Good Practices in India”, conducted by the SaveLIFE foundation, in coordination with World Bank and the Union ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH).

The study findings were released by Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari in Delhi on Monday.

The Hyderabad-Vijayapura corridor (State Highway-4) witnessed a crash severity of 58.7 in 2014, which was higher than the national average of 28.5. Interventions across the four Es of road safety — engineering, enforcement, emergency care and engagement — were implemented on the stretch, resulting in a 38.1 per cent reduction in deaths from 2014-18, the study found.

The project was implemented by the Telangana state roads and buildings department.

Gadkari said that the report findings can help chart safer roadways.

“Its comprehensive analysis will serve as a resource for policymakers, administrators and all stakeholders to identify and replicate strategies that have been effective in reducing deaths,” Gadkari added.

Piyush Tewari, founder and CEO of SaveLIFE Foundation, said that road crash deaths in India had increased by seven per cent between 2018 and 2022, underscoring the need to enhance the ongoing efforts to achieve a sustainable reduction in deaths.

“This report has been created to act as a guidebook for states to replicate practices that have shown notable improvements in road safety,” Tiwari added.