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This year so far, of the 133 road accident victims, 62 were two-wheeler riders as compared to 60 deaths of two-wheeler riders in 2008. Last year nearly 135 people had lost their lives in road accidents. According to police, the city witnesses at least one accident daily and one-third of the total accidents turn out to be fatal.
"Rash and negligent driving is a result of either making a hurried dash to reach the destination forgetting all safety norms or driving with lack of concentration when the mind is preoccupied," said Vijay Kumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Traffic). He adds that the increase of vehicular density in the city and use of mobile phones while driving are contributory factors which makes a commuter more stressed. For Harman Sidhu, the founder of NGO ArriveSafe that spreads awareness on safe driving, the biggest worry is ensuring the safety of pedestrians.
"Pedestrians are the most ignored lot in our traffic system. In fact, they are not even considered part of the traffic in our country while in every developed country, there are rules and facilities to safeguard the interest of pedestrians," he says.
He adds that greater awareness is required to ensure safe driving in the city.
"We are holding competitions in schools to create awareness about traffic safety ahead of the UN World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, which falls on November 15," he says.
"Accidents happen when pre-occupation overrides caution. We can create awareness but it’s only when people make safety their priority that the number of accidents can be reduced and more lives saved," says DSP Vijay Kumar.
2 crushed to death
MOHALI:A tempo crushed two persons to death in Industrial Focal Point, Phase VIII, late on Sunday evening. The deceased have been identified as Hoshiarpur-resident private security guard Sukhwinder Singh, in his late 40s, and Anandpur Sahib-resident Amrik Singh, in his early 20s, investigation officer Dilbagh Singh told Newsline. The accident took place around 10 pm when Sukhwinder, who was working with a private construction company, was sitting outside the site during his night duty. He and Amrik, who had come to meet him, were sitting together, when the tempo crushed them before ramming into a nearby electricity pole and a tree, said Singh, adding that the impact of accident was so high that the electricity pole and the tree were uprooted. Both the victims were rushed to the Civil Hospital, where they were declared dead on arrival. The police have arrested the driver.ENS
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