NH 65 bloodiest stretch in Telangana, clocks 4,200 accidents in 9 years

HYDERABAD: At 4,277 accidents, National Highway 65 has turned out to be the deadliest route among all NHs passing through Telangana.
Of the 23 NHs criss-crossing the state, three others accounted for maximum accidents - NH 44 was second with 3,016 accidents, followed by NH 163 (2,814) and NH 765 (2,331), according to an RTI reply from National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) regarding accidents on NHs in Telangana in the past nine years since state formation.

The maximum accidents on NH 65 (Pune to Machilipatnam) is not surprising as massive traffic flows through this crucial link between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh passing through Hyderabad and Vijayawada. The Kashmir to Kanyakumari NH 44, the longest in the country, passes through Adilabad, Nirmal and Hyderbad in the state; NH 163 connects Kodangal via Hyderabad and Warangal to Chhattisgarh; and NH 765 connects Hyderabad to Srisailam in AP.
In terms of fatalities, NH 65 was again on top at 764 followed by NH 765 at 426 and NH 163 recording 369. Fatalities on NH 44 in the state were not provided by NHAI.
There was a marginal increase in accidents during the pandemic years on NH 65 as the route was the lifeline for those returning to AP from the state or vice versa. While it was 416 in 2019, it rose to 446 in 2020.
Majority of the fatalities (56%) were caused by speeding on NH 65, followed by driver's fault (16%), vehicle losing control (9%) and drowsiness (8.2%).
Of the 64 deaths due to drunk driving since state formation, the last two years alone resulted in 23 deaths on NH 65. The maximum drunk driving deaths (425) occurred on NH 163, followed by NH 765 at 150 and NH 44 at 15 deaths.
"Drunk driving incidents are a cause for concern. I've never seen any enforcement against it on NHs," said Robin Zaccheus who filed RTI.
Dheerendra Samineni, founder of Safe Drive India, said: "Locations where drunk driving possibilities arise on NHs should be monitored. Over the last few years, enforcement has come down on highways in Telangana."