Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The city has seen a surprising trend in road accidents this year, while the overall number of accidents and injured people has slightly declined compared to 2023, the number of fatalities has increased, raising concerns about the effectiveness of road safety measures.
According to data received from the traffic police department, the number of reported accidents till October 15, 2024, stands at 2,753, down from 2,815 in the previous year. The number of injured individuals has also decreased from 2,225 to 2,067.
However, the death toll has risen from 214 in 2023 to 224 this year. Traffic experts have expressed concerns over the rising fatalities in road accidents and emphasise the need for a highway patrolling unit to reduce fatal accidents on bypasses and highways. Consulting engineer Atul Seth said, “Most severe accidents occur on bypasses and highways, resulting in higher fatalities due to high speeds. The authorities should establish a highway patrolling unit to monitor highways and curb accidents. They should also address engineering defects at accident-prone black spots, as defective road engineering is the cause in at least 70% of accidents.”
Meanwhile, traffic officers claimed that overall road accidents have decreased due to engineering flaws being corrected and the installation of speed breakers, signboards, zigzag lines, stoppers, and radium markers. DCP (Traffic) Arvind Tiwari said, “We have corrected engineering flaws on several roads across the city, which has contributed to the decrease in accidents. We are reviewing the reasons behind the rise in fatalities, the severity of recent accidents may be a contributing factor.”
He added that they have strategically installed speed breakers in areas prone to high-speed accidents and have placed signboards, zigzag lines, stoppers, and radium markers to enhance safety and manage traffic flow at critical points. ACP (Traffic) Hindu Singh Muwel said, “To prevent accidents, we are identifying accident-prone areas and continuously monitoring these black spots. The causes of accidents are being reviewed and signboards, lighting, road markings and speed breakers have been installed as needed by the concerned authority. The traffic police have also submitted proposals for flyovers to the road safety committee for several places.”
Accidents at black spots increase by 50% this year compared to total of last 3 years
A total of 14 black spots lie in the heart of the city, notorious for snuffing out lives in a blink. A total of 86 people lost their lives in 87 accidents over three harrowing years from 2021 to 2023. Yet, despite this blood-stained record, these treacherous zones remain untouched, as if death itself has become an accepted norm. Surprisingly, the accidents at these black spots, from January 1 to September 30, 2024 contradict the overall accidents data as the number of accidents at these spots has jumped to 134 a rise of more than 50% when compared to the data of the last three years combined, but the number of deaths in these accidents is just 17.
According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, a road accident black spot is a stretch of about 500 metres where either five road accidents involving fatalities or grievous injuries or 10 fatalities, occurred over the last three calendar years.
In a mere 1.5 kilometres, a stretch of road tainted by death, from IT Park Square to Teen Imli Square there are three black spots where the line between life and death is razor-thin.
A-1 CREATION
Identified black spots in the city
1. Luvkush Square (19 accidents)
2. Rijlay Phata, Dhar Road (2 accidents)
3. Dewas Naka Square (9 accidents)
4. Best Price, Bypass Road (5 accidents)
5. Omaxe City, Bypass Road (6 accidents)
6. Decathlon, Bypass Road (6 accidents)
7. Bicholi Mardana Bridge (11 accidents)
8. Teen Imli Square (14 accidents)
9. Rala Mandal Square, Bypass Road (10 accidents)
10. Tejaji Nagar Bridge, AB Road (4 accidents)
11. Rau Gol Square (13 accidents)
12. IT Park Square (24 accidents)
13. Vishesh Jupiter Hospital, Ring Road (6 accidents)
14. Hukum Chand Ghantaghar Square (8 accidents)
Two Infamous accidents of this year
On October 18
A speeding SUV dragged a man for nearly 1.5 kilometres and also hit his pregnant wife in front of Emerald Heights International School resulting in a miscarriage and death of the man. The couple was standing near the road with their three-year-old daughter, preparing to open their roadside shop, selling small electronic items. The deceased was identified as Rahul Chauhan, a native of Maharashra and his wife has been identified as Sapna Chauhan.
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On night of September 15, a speeding and recklessly driven BMW coming from the wrong side killed two young women riding a two-wheeler under the Khajrana police station's jurisdiction. The incident sent shock waves among the denizens as the impact of the accident was so severe that the victims were thrown in the air for about 20 feet along with their two-wheeler which was mangled. The deceased were identified as Diksha Jadoun (25), a native of Gwalior and Lakshmi Tomar (24), a native of Shivpuri.
