Cops hunt for black spots to curb road accidents

GUWAHATI: The Assam Police, with the help of the transport department and other stakeholders, has identified more than 50 black spots or accident-prone zones in roads across the state.
The announcement was made by Assam DGP GP Singh in reference to the accident that took place in Majuli on Friday in which a Class VII student, who was standing by the roadside, was killed on being hit by the deputy commissioner's convoy.
The convoy was moving at a high speed. One of the vehicles lost control and hit the student, identified as Ayanjyoti Baniah, and turned turtle in front of the Borguri Jorbil Rupjyoti ME School. Another student also sustained injuries. An investigation has been launched into the case.
The DGP said, "Around 1.5 lakh people die in road accidents every year in India. In Assam, too, several thousands of people lose their lives in road mishaps. Around 6,500 road accidents, including fatal and non-fatal, took place across the state in 2022-23 as per our record. We all must take responsibility."
He added that the Assam Police in cooperation with the transport department, the National Highways Authority of India and other stakeholders is digitising the accident data and adding longitude and latitude of the accident spots in its map to identify black spots, so that necessary effective measures can be taken.
According to the ministry of road transport, a stretch of road is tagged as a 'black spot' if five road accidents or 10 fatalities are reported for three consecutive years in a stretch of 500 metres.
The Assam Police and the transport department have continuously been working to create awareness among people to avoid rash and drink driving to prevent fatal road accidents. As per the report, 'Road Accidents in India 2021', published by the ministry of road, transport and highways in December last year, Assam witnessed over 7,400 road accidents in 2021, where over 3,000 people lost their lives.