Patiala district records 97 accidental deaths on road in 7 months

The administration says the traffic police are making sure people follow traffic rules, but still people say violators go unchecked.

The district witnessed a whopping 97 death cases in road accidents in less than seven months this year, caused due to negligent driving. With 206 cases of accidents registered in the district on Punjab Police’s website, more than 13 cases of deaths in road mishap have been registered every month.

Authorities say people tend to ignore seat belts while driving. (HT File)

According to this data, road accidents have taken a life nearly every second day in the district.

The administration says the traffic police are making sure people follow traffic rules, but still people say violators go unchecked.

Officials say roads in the city require re-carpeting and traffic signals and dividers need to be repaired along with management of traffic flow.

LACK OF AWARENESS

Authorities say people tend to ignore seat belts while driving cars saying the rules are not very stringent. “People automatically put on seat belts while entering Chandigarh. There everyone voluntarily wears seatbelts in cars and helmets while riding two-wheelers, but here no one is bothered for their own safety,” said Kapis Kumar, a hospital worker.

A bystander near Gurudwara Dukhniwaran Sahib claimed, “Pillion riders need not wear helmets. I never wear a helmet while sitting at the back of a two-wheeler. I don’t feel the need as I don’t travel for more than two to three kilometers in the city at a time.”

Rashly-driven cars and bikes by youngsters are another reason for accidents. For some, three-wheeler drivers create a nuisance. “There should be a maximum number of people the auto drivers can ferry. Three-wheelers can topple after they load more people.”

Reacting to the number of accidental deaths in the district, Kanwardeep Kaur, traffic and security in-charge said, “We do not let traffic rule violators go unchecked. Every case of accident is a serious case for us. We inspect the site ourselves and also submit corrective measures to concerned departments.”

“There are places where traffic lights are non-functional and proper dividers are required. The administration has come up with a comprehensive approach by making five committees to deal with these matters. We will present our reports to the deputy commissioner within this month and repair and beautification work will begin,” she added.

She said beautification and corrective measures for matters concerning roads and accidents, traffic lights, tree plantation, sewerage, etc will be done under the project.