GHAZIABAD: At least one person on an average died in road accidents in the city till October this year, data sourced from the traffic police has revealed. In the 10 months of this year, the city recorded 720 accidents, in which 306 people died while 519 others suffered injuries. In 2021, it recorded 681 accidents and 333 deaths. Police sources said wrong-side driving and speeding accounted for 50% of the road accidents. These two offences were also behind the most number of challans. Till October 2022, cops issued 25,550 challans for wrong-side driving and 51,021 for speeding. During the same period last year, the number of fines slapped for wrong-side driving was 18,418 and those for speeding 11,875. Fines for drink driving saw a massive jump this year. While only two challans were issued to those driving under the influence of alcohol, 3,147 people were fined for the offence this year. A senior officer said the traffic police had identified 16 “blackspots” or accident-prone areas, a majority of which are on national highways that run across the city. Of these, 13 are on NH-9 and NH-34, two on a state highway and one on an internal road in Ghaziabad. “Around 30% of the challans issued by the traffic police on NH-9, DME and the Eastern Peripheral Expressway, which have emerged as a hotbed of traffic violations, are during the rush hours. In the city, Meerut Tiraha, Hapur Chungi, GT Road and Indirapuram are areas where most challans have been issued,” the officer said. SP (traffic) Ramanand Kushwaha told TOI they had started an awareness programme in the district to educate commuters about road safety and discipline. Such sessions are held in 10 schools on an average daily. Such drives are also held in gated societies, community halls and other public places in association with different transport associations. This, the police believe, has helped. They cited the number of challans issued for not wearing helmets – which came down from 80,816 in 2021 to 35,320 this year. “Commuters should understand that by driving on the wrong side and drinking liquor, they are not only putting their own lives in danger but those of others too. The traffic police are trying to make people aware through several ways, like nukkad natak and pasting posters on the importance of life,” he added. Apart from awareness drives, the police said they had written to the authorities concerned about making changes to road designs in some areas. The highways and expressways, the cops said, were a cause for concern. Till July this year, a total of 109 accidents had taken place on the DME and EPE, killing 61 people and injuring 88. On August 18, four members of a family died after the Maruti Eeco in which they were travelling crashed into a truck parked on one side of the DME. On November 4, two persons died after an ambulance being driven on the wrong side rammed a truck on the DME. On October 17, at least 10 people were injured when a UP Roadways bus fell into a roadside ditch and overturned while trying to save a biker in the Modinagar area.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ghaziabad/ghaziabad-reported-1-fatal-crash-daily-this-year-shows-data/articleshow/95497006.cms