Recklessly-parked vehicles trigger accidents, claim lives in state
LUCKNOW : The horrific road accident in which 14 people, including six children, died in Pratapgarh after their speeding sports utility vehicle (SUV) rammed into a truck parked on the narrow highway from behind on Thursday night has exposed the risk that vehicles, often stationed recklessly on highways, pose to road safety.
On-road parked vehicles have been found to be one of the major causes of road accidents and resultant deaths and injuries all over the state with the authorities not being able to adequately enforce the rules that lay down the precautions for parking a vehicle on the road in an emergency, including a breakdown.
According to an analytical report released recently by the Union ministry of road transport and highways, the stationary (parked) vehicles were the primary cause of 13,317 road accidents in the country in 2019. These accidents killed 5,086 people and injured 12,652 others.
Uttar Pradesh, according to the same report, accounted for 2,602 such road accidents (involving parked vehicles) in which 1,299 people were killed and 1,852 injured between January and December of the same year. Similarly, in 2018 also, parked vehicles were found to be responsible for 2,515 road crashes in which 1,299 people were killed and 1,769 people injured.
Overall, a total of 22,655 people died and another 28,932 were injured in 42,572 cases of road accident reported in UP in 2019.
The state was found on the top in the country in terms of road accident deaths.
“It is an unfortunate reality of our highways that rear-end collisions like the one in Pratapgarh are common across India, including UP,” SaveLIFE Foundation chief Piyush Tewari said.
“Last year, 28,000 people were killed across India in such collisions, a 6.4% increase from 2018. UP accounts for 2,100 of these fatalities,” he added.
In the Pratapgarh mishap, it was found that a cement-laden truck was parked at the side of the highway due to a punctured tyre when the SUV hit it from behind. The SUV was wrecked beyond recognition.
People familiar with the matter in the transport department said the stretch of the highway where the accident occurred is a narrow two-lane road with no shoulders (vacant space on the side) for emergency parking. Despite this, the truck driver did not give any warning signals that he was mandatorily supposed to after parking the vehicle following the tyre developing a puncture.
“As per rules, the truck staff should have put a reflective warning triangle on the parked truck or should have at least given continuous dippers/indicators for the parked truck to be somewhat visible to others at the night,” those in the know of things said, adding,
“But the truck violated this basic rule with impunity resulting in the tragic accident.”
They said that a team led by additional transport commissioner (road safety) Gangaphal rushed to the accident site on Friday to find out the causes of the accident and report the same to the transport commissioner.
“The team is likely to recommend cancellation/suspension of permit of the truck and the truck driver’s driving licence for gross violation of the provisions
OVERALL, A TOTAL OF 22,655 PEOPLE DIED AND ANOTHER 28,932 WERE INJURED IN 42,572 CASES OF ROAD ACCIDENT REPORTED IN UP IN 2019.
of the MV (Motor Vehicles) Act,” they said.
According to Piyush Tewari, whose organisation is working for promotion of road safety on the Yamuna and the Agra-Lucknow expressways, engineering defects of roads should be removed and heavy fines imposed on those found violating the rules.
“It is essential that layby areas for trucks are built across our highways and severe penalties imposed on trucks that fail to barricade themselves appropriately after they break down or stop for any other emergency,” he suggested.