627 people died in road mishaps across Telangana in January

January turned tragic for many motorists as 627 people lost their lives and 2,038 people sustained injuries in 2,027 road accidents in the State in the entire month. Over-speeding and drunken driving were the main cause for these accidents, according to officials. Rachakonda Police Commissionerate topped the list, registering more number of fatalities followed by Sangareddy, Cyberabad and Warangal.

Forty-seven people died in road accidents in Rachakonda while 41 lost their lives in Sangareddy and 40 each in Cyberabad and Warangal, according to police records. Even as various government departments like Police, Panchayat Raj, Municipal, Health, and Roads and Buildings are coming up with a slew of measures for the safety of motorists, spate of road accidents continue to occur putting the lives of people at risk.

On their part, officials concerned are installing sign boards, rectifying engineering defects at the accident-prone areas to



prevent accidents. But human error coupled with the vehicle condition is contributing for the increasing number of accidents, officials said.

Accidents caused by human error due to traffic rule violations include driving without valid license and failing to use safety helmets and seat-belts. Non-use of helmets and seat-belts do not cause accidents but are critical for averting fatal and grievous injuries in the event of road accident, officials explained.

They said the State government was also coming up with a robust mechanism to ensure proper coordination among various departments to prevent accidents. However, the most worrisome aspect of the ghastly road accidents is drunk driving. Nine people, mostly women, lost their lives after an auto-rickshaw in which they were travelling was hit by a drunken lorry driver at Angadipeta on Hyderabad-Nagarjunasagar highway in Nalgonda district on January 21.