Date:15/12/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/12/15/stories/2006121517300500.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Steps to check road accidents delayed

K.V. Subramanya

Bangalore Rural district accounts for the most number of mishaps after Bangalore city

DEATH TRAP: A file photo of a road accident on Mysore Road.

BANGALORE: Even as national and State highways passing through Bangalore Rural district have turned into death traps claiming around 700 lives every year, the Government has delayed the implementation of several measures that were planned to check the increasing number of accidents on these roads.

Bangalore Rural district accounts for the highest number of fatal road accidents in the State, after Bangalore city. As many as 766 people were killed and 3,828 injured in the road accidents reported from the district during 2005.

During the past seven years, the police, in association with other agencies, had planned certain measures to prevent accidents and provide immediate medical aid to the victims. But most of them are yet to be implemented.

Though buildings had been constructed for housing 40 traffic aid posts on the highways in the State, the Government had not posted personnel and provided the necessary facilities, sources told The Hindu on Thursday.

The Government was yet to clear the proposed highway patrol scheme. Setting up of trauma centres on highways had also been delayed, the sources said.

The immediate need, however, was to put up road medians as it would bring down the incidents of collision. Around 90 per cent of the accidents were due to overtaking that resulted in collision, they said.

The highest number of accidents was reported on Bangalore-Mysore highway, with the stretch of the road between Ramanagaram and Channapatna accounting for nearly 100 deaths every year. Accidents had come down substantially after road medians were put up on Mysore Road, the sources said.

Over-speeding, "drunken" driving and untrained persons driving trucks are also leading to accidents. But steps have not been taken to enforce the rules and check violation on the highways. Though Bangalore Rural district has 35 police stations, only Ramanagaram has a traffic police wing. Unlike the Bangalore city police, the district police do not have alcoholmeters and speed radar guns for checking "drunken driving" and over-speeding.

Senior police officials said "night fatigue" on part of drivers was a major cause for the accidents. Most of the major accidents had occurred during late nights or in the early hours of the day.