More fatal accidents have occurred on tarred roads than on cement or mud roads, according to the Accident Analysis Book (2018-2020) released by the Bengaluru Traffic Police, fuelling safety concerns about blacktopped surfaces.
In 2018, as many as 799 accidents occurred on tar roads, followed by 744 in 2019 and 588 the year after. In comparison, only 47 accidents occurred on mud and cement roads in 2018, 66 in 2019 and 44 in 2020.
Traffic expert, M N Sreehari, said both concrete and tarred roads should be maintained well to avoid accidents though white-topped roads needed low maintenance.
“In the long run, when these two types of roads are compared, white-topping has better functional prospects while bitumen roads provide smooth driving conditions when maintained well,” he added.
The report further says that far more fatal accidents have occurred due to human errors than mechanical ones in the past three years. The only exception was a deadly crash caused by steering wheel failure in 2019. The data clearly disproves the usual excuse of vehicle users in case of accidents.
Addressing both the issues, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) B R Ravikanthe Gowda said the skills of vehicles users were as important as good roads. “It’s important to have good infrastructure but motorists should also learn to follow road traffic rules. Adhering to the speed limit is very important. Safe riding is the key (to safe roads),” he said.
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