Hyderabad: A high-level review meeting on road safety was conducted here on Friday, August 23, where various topics including minimising road fatalities, safety laws, and traffic education among others were discussed.
The meeting which was held at the office of the transport commissioner focused on the implementation of road safety measures in line with the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety (SCCoRS) directives.
During the meeting, the total number of accidents and the severity of injuries in 2023 were reviewed. A total of 22,903 accidents occurred, including 7,186 fatal accidents, 2,476 grievous injuries, 10,404 minor injuries, and 2,747 normal injuries.
The statistics highlighted the urgent need for the implementation of effective road safety measures across the state.
Based on the data available through 108 ambulances and various police records, a detailed plan for spotting high-priority accident spots or black spots in each district was identified and reviewed.
There was a detailed discussion on the efficiency of ambulance services and the availability of critical
care facilities along major accident-prone routes. Officials attending the meeting emphasized the need for improved ambulance response times and better coordination with hospitals, a press release said.
In cases of violating road safety rules such as drunk driving or driving on the wrong side, legal actions such as suspension of driving licenses, will be taken, it added.
The meeting discussed on imparting traffic-based and road safety education to school children through outreach programmes.
The meeting also explored the need to increase the number of pedestrian walkways on busy national highways. This was to ensure pedestrian safety and reduce the risk of road accidents.
Furthermore, district road safety committee meetings will be conducted on a monthly basis with the participation of officials from key departments such as transport, police, traffic police, Emergency 108 services, GHMC and HMDA. The meetings will mostly focus on reviewing every road fatality district-wise thereby identifying causes and developing strategies to prevent future accidents.
In the end, it was decided to conduct such meetings at regular intervals ensuring ensure continuous monitoring and implementation of the directives issued by the Supreme Court committee on road
safety.
