Faridabad identifies 12 ‘killer’ black spots

The Faridabad police have identified 12 "black spots" where 20 or more people have died in road accidents in the last three years

The Faridabad police have identified 12 “black spots” where 20 or more people have died in road accidents in the last three years – 2022, 2021 and 2020, police officers aware of the matter said on Tuesday.

Amit Yashwardhan, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), inspects one of the roads identified as a black spot. (HT Photo)

Of the 12 spots, ten are on national highways – Elson Chowk, Jharsaintly pull on NH, Kaily flyover, Goodyear Chowk, JCB Chowk, Badkhal flyover, NHPC Chowk, Bata Chowk, Anaj Mandi exit, Sikri Road towards Faridabad national highway, Sikri Road towards Palwal, and Mojpur toll on the KGP Expressway, according to police officers.

An intersection or a road is defined as a black spot if there are more than five deaths in a 500-metre stretch over three years. According to the police, 157 people have died on these sites since January 1, with 357 accidents occurring between January 1 and July 31.

After analysing the accident and death data last week, the police said they launched several awareness campaigns in the district and increased deployment and enforcement on these black spots. On Monday, the police also launched a campaign against wrong-side driving, speeding, and parking on main roads, all contributing to fatal accidents.

According to Amit Yashwardhan, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), they surveyed the civic officials of all the locations and identified the causes of accidents. “The major issues in these spots were over-speeding, wrong lane driving, drunk driving, and wrong side driving. To reduce accidents, we have deployed police officers at each location, purchased two speed guns for ₹11 lakh to check over-speeding, and begun imposing fines. The speed guns are equipped with night vision cameras because commuters believe police do not work at night and try to accelerate on the stretches,” he said.

“We are attempting to enhance road safety awareness and compliance in various ways. We recently noticed that many two-wheeler riders were not wearing helmets, so we organised a drive to distribute helmets at these 12 locations and began issuing challans on the spot,” he added.

According to the police, road safety clubs have been formed by involving students and residents who assist police in road safety initiatives such as organising street plays and distributing posters.

According to Yashwardhan, they have hired executives from private companies and off-road drivers. “We are organising motorcycle and cycle rallies and marathons to engage the community in physical activities and motivate people to promote fitness and road safety. We have a force of 650 police officers, and we are expanding our team to provide more outreach,” he said.