Around 7,000 road accidents occur in Assam annually: MoRTH report

Thrust on education, road engineering, enforcement & emergency care

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: There are around 7,000 road accidents which claim around 3,000 lives in the state annually, on average. The primary reasons for this are overspeeding, driving on the wrong side of the road, faulty road construction, dilapidated roads, etc.

According to a recent report from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), in the period from 2019 to 2023, the total number of road accidents in Assam was 36,820, and 15,163 people perished in these mishaps. To prevent such an abysmal number of road accidents, MoRTH has now given more thrust to education, road engineering, enforcement and emergency care.

During the period stated, the figures for the number of road accidents and fatalities have remained almost constant, despite preventive measures adopted by the state government. In 2019, there was a total of 8,350 road accidents, which slightly decreased to 7,442 in 2023. The number of deaths from road accidents in 2019 was 3,208, which came down marginally in the years in between but again rose to 3,296 in 2023.

Sources said the majority of deaths resulted from two-wheeler accidents, the main reasons being the mostly young riders overspeeding, violating traffic rules and driving recklessly on the roads. On the other hand, the primary reason for light commercial vehicles being involved in accidents is reckless overtaking. The drivers acquire driving licences, but they pay little heed to traffic rules. So, it has become necessary to educate drivers on proper adherence to traffic rules.

It has also become imperative for proper engineering practices to be adopted in road construction, the highlight of which is maintaining proper curvature of roads on turns. Many accidents can be blamed on improper curvature of road turns and poor condition of roads in the state. MoRTH has therefore now placed more thrust on proper engineering of roads and timely repair of potholes on roads, which is rarely done by the authorities concerned.

Sources also stated that proper signage is not put up on roads under construction, leading to more accidents occurring on these stretches of highways. Another factor contributing to the accidents is the haphazard parking of trucks on both sides of the roads, mainly national and state highways. It was also pointed out that construction companies do not maintain service roads and diversions in proper condition during road construction or repairs, leading to more accidents. It is the job of the traffic police and the enforcement division of the transport department to ensure that such impractices are checked.

The sources further pointed out that many road accident victims do not have access to trauma centres, which have to be mandatorily placed at certain intervals on the highways. If trauma centres do not exist at the requisite spots, there should be a tie-up with the nearest hospital, which is sadly lacking at present. There is also a propensity of bystanders not providing help to road accident victims. So, the victims are deprived of emergency care during the ‘golden hour’ of one hour, which can potentially save many lives.

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