Guntur: Dense fog is becoming dangerous proposition for students going for special classes this winter season with a spate of road accidents occurring in the early hours.
The heavy fog has been troubling drivers to get clear view of the road. According to reports, 1,100 road accidents have been registered in AP this season involving fog in the early hours of the day. Many of these have been fatal accidents, with 315 people reported to have lost their lives in the mishaps.
On December 28, four Class X students were killed in a road accident at Repudi village in Phirangipuram Mandal of Guntur district. Low visibility, driving speed and absence of warning signs on the roads are the main causes of fog-related accidents.
On an average day, thick fog hangs in the air till about 8 am, which is when people are unable to view objects on the road. According to reports, as many as 22,241 fog-related road accidents were registered in the country in 2016, resulting in the death of 10,000 people. 1100 of these accidents occurred on roads in AP, killing 315 people.
Driver B. Jayararaju said that earlier they used to training in driving in different weather conditions. Now, drivers don’t have skills to drive in severe weather conditions and hence proceed without caution even during heavy fog which leads to accidents.
Transport industry expert N. Bhaskar said the biggest public transport APSRTC did not offer weather-related training to its drivers. He said that high-beam light affects vision of drivers as it creates a reflection of the mist during heavy fog days and decreases drivers visibilty. Hence only low-beam lights should be used, but a majority of drivers were unaware of this. He suggested giving all drivers, including APSRTC bus driver, weather-related training for safe driving in the winter season.
ANU engineering college professor Dr Srinivasa Reddy said that normal road symbol signs are not visible during cold winter days; hence electronic signboards must be put up on roads to alert drivers of the conditions.
