JOIN USCity roads toll: 20 lives in 24 days
Two software engineers, two call centre employees and two BMTC employees were among those killed so far, this month. Of the total dead, two were women. Two-wheelers were involved in 15 deaths. More than 40 persons sustained injuries in these accidents and of these, around 10 are battling for life in hospitals.
The police attribute several factors for the sudden rise in the number of accidents.
“It is a mere coincidence. There can’t be any accurate reason for the sharp increase in accident deaths. Sometimes, you have more deaths and sometimes you have no accident for a couple of weeks,” said DCP (East Traffic) B A Muttanna.
Muttanna said that a majority of these accidents took place on the outskirts of the City and on the Ring Roads. Many road projects were completed and thrown open for public use.
Motorists drive the vehicles at reckless speed on these stretches as the roads are smooth. They fail to control the vehicles when they try to negotiate curves and humps and end up causing accidents.
The prime reason for all the recent accidents is over-speeding. The accidents are taking place, despite stringent measures and continuous checks by the police, he claimed.
There is heavy traffic congestion in the central parts of the city due to ongoing projects like Metro Rail, road widening and flyovers/underpasses. Hence, many commuters are using peripheral roads and roads in outer areas of the city and these roads have accounted for a majority of the accidents this month. A majority of the vehicles violated rules and moved on pavements, another officer said.
Regarding accidents on the City roads, another officer said: “More than 60 per cent of the road space is occupied by Metro Rail project and others works taken up by BBMP, BWSSB and BDA. These areas have witnessed several non-fatal accidents during the day and fatal accidents during nights. There are no proper signboards near the construction sites. The roads are dug up in some areas, while potholes have not been filled up in some other areas.”
Sources in the traffic police department revealed that as many as 4,489 people were killed following injuries in accidents in Bangalore last year, while the number in 2008 was 4,497. Nearly 76 per cent of the victims were pedestrians, motorists and pillion riders.
More than one lakh people were hospitalised because of injuries in accidents last year. The scene is mostly similar this year, added the sources.
* Dec 5: Two killed, two injured in separate accidents.
* Dec 13: Two killed in Ejipura, three sustained minor injuries in separate accidents.
* Dec 16: Boy killed, 11 hurt, after school van turned turtle on Sarjapura Road.
* Dec 23: Five killed, three injured in separate accidents.
* Dec 24: Two killed, two critically injured in accident on Outer Ring Road, Nagarbhavi.