Road accident deaths in Odisha increase by 8.87% in first quarter

BHUBANESWAR: Deaths due to road accidents in Odisha increased by 8.87% in the first quarter of 2021 as compared to the corresponding period in 2020.
Total number of accidents too increased by nearly 12% in the first three months this year as against the same period last year.
Data shared by the Odisha Crime Branch said the number of accidents went up from 2881 in the first quarter of 2020 to 3225 during the same period this year. While 1353 persons were killed in those accidents in the first quarter of 2020, the casualty figure rose to 1473 between January and March this year.
“We expect a drop in the accident deaths in the second quarters (April-June) in view of the weekend shutdown and lockdown that came into force in April-May,” a senior crime branch officer said.
Analysis of the road mishaps in the first quarters of 2020 and 2021 showed Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Khurda, Angul, Balasore, Bargarh, Balangir, Boudh, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Koraput and Nabarangapur reported an increase in accident deaths during the time.
Fatality rate in road accidents in the state came down by nearly 11% in 2020 as compared to 2019.
Total 4738 persons were killed in road mishaps in the state last year as against 5333 deaths in 2019. The deaths came down due to the Covid-induced lockdown and restriction on the movement of vehicles last year.
State transport department said steps are being taken to reduce the accident deaths. The department has asked district collectors to install CCTV cameras at accident-prone stretches and blackspots on the highways.
The government said the collectors should implement the CCTV surveillance system out of the district mineral fund (DMF) or rope in companies for corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds.
“The district collectors will set a target to reduce accident deaths by 10% in 2021. Accordingly, an action plan will be developed in consultation with SPs, RTOs, road owning agencies and NGOs. Enforcement against wrong side driving and drink driving will be intensified. Disposable pipes will be used while subjecting drunk drivers to breathalyser test,” an officer of the transport department said.