Rising Concern: Road Accidents Surge in Belagavi City | Hubballi News – Times of India

Belagavi: The escalating number of road accidents and accident-related deaths in Belagavi for the last four years has become a matter of concern, despite multiple drives conducted by the traffic police department to raise road-safety awareness.
The figures recorded in the district police department and at the city police commissioner’s office are quite alarming.Records reveal that in the last four years, while 3,600 people lost their lives to road fatalities, 13,000 suffered serious injuries.
Statistics also reveal that a significant number of those killed in these accidents were two-wheeler riders. It is noteworthy that out of a total of 3,600 road accident deaths, over 1,600 were bikers.
The primary reasons behind road fatalities include disregard for traffic rules and riding two-wheelers without helmets.
Recently, Belagavi district superintendent of police Dr Bhimashankar Guled suspended a head constable for violating the helmet rule, saying that he himself should be wearing a helmet and lead by example before penalising those who don’t wear helmets. He issued a warning that not wearing a helmet while riding a two-wheeler will be treated as a crime.
To make matters worse, many motorists and riders often fail to pay their fines in time for violating traffic rules. Phone calls from political leaders and other government officials, lobbying for clemency on behalf of the offenders, have become an additional headache for the police to contend with, some police officials said.
Santosh, a resident of Macche in Belagavi taluk, said several roads in the rural areas of the district are in urgent need of repair. These roads pose a serious threat to the life and limbs of commuters. Rohit from Shahu Nagar said in most parts of Belagavi city, violation of traffic rules is a common practice. Over-speeding, riding without helmets, jumping red signals, flouting one-way rule and using mobile phones while driving or riding are also quite common, he said.
Rohit added that apart from those who violate traffic rules, harassment of motorists by traffic police personnel on flimsy grounds also adds to commuters’ woes. A traffic police official said there is a growing trend among many parents to allow minor children to ride two-wheelers. “This is very dangerous and must be curbed at the earliest,” the official cautioned. City police commissioner SN Sidramappa said the police department was running awareness drives on road-safety in schools and colleges to ensure greater compliance with traffic rules.
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