Covid effect? Sharp fall in road accidents in Noida

Gautam Budh Nagar has recorded a sharp fall in the number of road accidents amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Transport department officials said that the number

Gautam Budh Nagar has recorded a sharp fall in the number of road accidents amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Transport department officials said that the number of accidents has sharply decreased from March to September this year due to the Covid-induced lockdown and other restrictions.

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According to the data from the district transport department, between March 1 and September 15 this year, the GB Nagar district saw over 50% decline in the road accidents as compared to that of the corresponding period last year. The district witnessed 317 mishaps during the period this year as against 653 last year, the data shows.

The fatalities due to road accidents also went down this year, with the district recording 162 deaths during the period, while 278 deaths were reported during the same period last year.

Prashant Tiwari, assistant regional transport officer (enforcement), GB Nagar, said that due to lockdown, the number of accidents has sharply decreased this year.

Meanwhile, to bring down accidents in the district, the GB Nagar transport department is observing road safety week from October 5 to 11. During the week, several awareness activities have been planned to ensure safety of commuters, officials said.

Tiwari said that as per the state government’s directions, four road safety weeks are mandatory annually in the district. “We had held the first programme in June as it was delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak. We are organising the second road safety week from October 5 to 11. In this week, the transport department has planned a number of awareness activities aimed at bringing down road accidents and fatalities,” he said.

On Monday, the transport department held online meetings with vehicle dealers, transporters and toll plaza operators, and sensitized them over road safety rules and the Motor Vehicle Act. “We informed the transporters to properly sanitize their buses and cars before engaging them for duty. The drivers and conductors were told to wear masks and also ask commuters to wear masks. They were told to adhere to Covid-19 protocols and not allow passengers in the vehicles beyond permissible limits,” the transport official said.

On Tuesday, the transport department sent its team in rural and urban areas to create awareness among the public. The team informed commuters about benefits of wearing a helmet while riding motorcycles and using a seat belt while driving cars, the officials said.

Tiwari said that in the next few days, the department has planned a meeting with the officials of different government and private schools. “Since the schools are closed and online classes are held, we will collaborate with the schools and organise online painting competition, slogan making, rangoli, and similar activities over road safety,” he said.

The transport department has also roped in the traffic police for the safety week. Ganesh Saha, DCP (traffic), GB Nagar, said that the traffic police are coordinating with the transport department for the drive. “We are conducting awareness programme and getting feedbacks from the people. We have also started calling citizens on random basis to get their suggestions to improve the traffic situation in the district,” he said.

The transport department has also planned to conduct inspection of all the pollution checking centres in the district. The road safety week would also consist of a one-day drive where reflector tapes will be pasted on vehicles as it is very important to improve visibility specially during winter and fog, the officials said.