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The tragic Almora bus accident, which claimed 36 lives in Uttarakhand on Monday morning, has once again brought the safety of passengers travelling on the roads in the hill parts of the state into focus. This is not the first major incident of road accident in the hill state.
Key factors behind road accidents in Uttarakhand: Weather, human errors & poor roads
Dehradun: In Uttarakhand, road accidents are on rise. The latest Almora bus accident is not the first major incident of its kind. Successive governments, which came into power after the formation of Uttarakhand as a separate state, always ignored the issue of the safety of passengers travelling in vehicles in the hill areas. This time Almora bus accident has grabbed national attention in view of the grief expressed by the country’s top personalities.
Weather conditions, human errors, or carelessness on part of drivers, absence of signboards at sharp turns, Drink-and-drive as well as poor condition of roads in the hill areas are always highlighted as major reasons for the growing number of road accidents across the state.
Loss of 20,000 lives in the road accidents in the last 24 years
According to data, about 20,000 people have lost their lives in road accidents since 2001 when Uttarakhand came into being as a separate state. In the last five years, 5500 people lost their lives in road accidents. The figure clearly shows the poor attention of the successive state governments towards road safety.
Preliminary investigation is going on to find out reasons behind the Almora bus accident
Although preliminary investigation is still going on to find out the reasons behind the latest road accident, the “over-speeding” as a cause is not ruled out. Reports reaching here from the accident site indicate the presence of passengers inside the bus more than the vehicle’s capacity. In local parlance, this is referred to as “over-loading”. Every vehicle has a fixed capacity to accommodate the passengers inside it. Reports also said that there was absence of parapet and crash barriers. Besides, the condition of the road near the accident site is not good.
CM had asked officials to ensure pothole-free road across the state
In view of the poor condition of the roads, particularly in the hill areas, Chief Minister Puskar Singh Dhami had given several instructions to ensure pothole-free roads across the state. The deadline for ensuring pothole-free roads was set as October 15. However, there is little progress in the mission of making pothole-free roads in the state. Incidentally, Ajay Tamta, three-time MP from Almora, is currently holding the post of union minister of state for road transport and highways.
Accident severity rate is high in Uttarakhand
According to Anoop Nautiyal, who heads Social Development for Communities (SDC) foundation, the accident severity rate, which is the number of people dead in 100 accidents, is significantly higher in Uttarakhand compared to the national average.
“As per the latest data available for the period of 2018 to 2022 on the website of the state transport department in Uttarakhand, the accident severity rate in the state has ranged from a high of 71.3 in 2018 to a low of 58.36 in 2021,” Nautiyal said. He further added it is extremely concerning to add that the accident severity rate in Uttarakhand is more than double of the national average.
Need for making drivers aware about the road safety
He underlines the need for making drivers aware about road safety. Developing a culture of road safety is a herculean task which requires concerted efforts from all departments concerned and all stakeholders. “It cannot be the responsibility of the police alone,” he mentioned.
Administration issued Help-desk-number for seeking information about Almora bus accident
Meanwhile, Nainital district administration has issued a helpline number 9458367078. Any information regarding the Almora bus accident can be obtained by this help-desk-number.
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