Page 13 - Road Accident

Nitin Gadkari targets 50% reduction in road accident deaths by 2030

The latest report on road accidents 2022 reported 460,000 accidents, 168,000 deaths, and around 400,000 serious injuries. Around 60% of deaths occurred among the age group of 18 to 35 years

J&K: Narrow escape for PDP chief Mehbooba as vehicle meets with accident

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti had a narrow escape on Thursday as her vehicle met with an accident at Sangam in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. The vehicle of the former Jamu and Kashmir chief minister collided with a civilian car at Sangam, a police official said. Mufti, who was on her way to Khanabal to meet the victims of a fire incident, did not suffer any injuries. However, a police officer in her personal security sustained minor injuries, the official said. The PDP president went ahead with her scheduled visit. A PDP spokesperson said Mufti was safe and did not suffer any injuries.

Gadkari raises concerns over 'poor quality DPRs' for highway construction

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday expressed concerns over poor quality of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) prepared by consultants for the construction of highways, saying that no good work has been done in this regard in the last 10 years. Addressing an event here, Gadkari said some officers of state-owned NHAI are responsible for bankruptcy of various infrastructure companies. "In the last 10 years, no good work had been done in preparation of DPRs... I am worried about the poor quality of DPRs prepared by consultants," the road transport and highways minister said. He added that it is regrettable that full payments are not made to DPR consultants by the government. Gadkari said the entire effort in the ministry is to float the tender for construction of highways, without focus on the quality. There is not a single highways project that does not have black spots, he added. Gadkari exhorted NHAI to hire competent people for DPR preparation for the construction of highways.

Massive vehicle pileup on California highway leaves 2 dead, 9 injured

A crash involving dozens of vehicles along a foggy stretch of California's Interstate 5 in southern California has left two people dead and nine others injured. The pileup involving 35 cars happened around 7:30 am Saturday west of Bakersfield, according to authorities. Kern County Fire Department spokesman Jim Calhoun told reporters that visibility was roughly 10 feet when crews arrived to the chaotic scene. The crash, spread over about half a mile (0.80 kilometers), involved 17 passenger vehicles and 18 big rigs. Two people were pronounced dead at the scene and nine others were hospitalized with minor injuries, authorities said. It was pretty chaotic when I first pulled up at the scene, it was compressed natural gas, saddle tanks on the side of some the big rigs that were ruptured, so a lot of the bystanders that weren't injured were trying to help people and were in a plume of natural gas so we had to deal with that first and get everyone evacuated from that area, Calhoun told ...

Crash test

New hit-and-run law demands better policing

12 killed in bus-truck collision in Assam, PM Modi condoles deaths

At least 12 people were killed and around 30 others injured on Wednesday in a head-on collision between a coal-laden truck and a bus in Golaghat district of Assam, police said. The accident took place at Balijan near Dergaon this morning when the bus with 45 people on board collided with the goods vehicle, Golaghat Superintendent of Police Rajen Singh told PTI. The bus was heading towards Upper Assam when the incident occurred. "As of now, 12 people have been killed. The injured have been sent to a hospital," he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in the accident, and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased, and Rs 50,000 each for the injured people. "Pained by the loss of lives due to a road mishap in Golaghat, Assam. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to those affected," the Prime Minister's Office said in a post

Bus-truck collision in Odisha kills both drivers, one passenger; 20 injured

At least three persons were killed and 20 others injured on Tuesday after the bus in which they were travelling collided head-on with a truck in Odisha's Cuttack district, police said. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the death of three persons in the accident and announced an ex gratia of Rs 3 lakh to the next kin of each deceased. The accident took place on Cuttack-Chandbali road near Katarapada around 7.30 am in Nischintakoili block when the bus with 60 passengers on board collided with the goods vehicle, a senior officer said. Drivers of both the vehicles and a passenger were killed in the accident. Two deceased were from Kendrapara district, while the identity of the truck driver is yet to be ascertained. The truck is from Rajasthan, Cuttack collector Narahari Sethy said. Teams of fire brigade stations and police personnel rushed to the spot and rescued the passengers trapped inside the damaged bus. The injured passengers were admitted to Nischintakoili ...

6 Indian-origin family members killed in fatal crash in Texas, US

In a tragic car accident, at least six Indian-origin family members, including two children, were killed in the US state of Texas, officials said. The accident occurred on Tuesday evening when a minivan and a pickup truck collided head-on near Johnson County, near Fortworth, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). Seven people of the same family were in the minivan, and only one of them, 43-year-old Lokesh Potabathula, survived with critical injuries. On Wednesday morning, the DPS identified the driver of the minivan, 28-year-old Rushil Barri of Irving, as one of the deceased victims. The other five in the van are from Alpharetta, Georgia: 36-year-old woman, Naveena Potabathula,64-year-old man, Nageswararao Ponnad, 60-year-old woman, Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada, 10-year-old boy, Krithik Potabathula and 9-year-old girl, Nishidha Potabathula. The elderly were visiting their daughter Naveena and grandkids Karthik and Nishita from India, the Consulate General said. The

8 killed, several injured in road collisions due to dense fog across UP

At least eight persons were killed and 30 others injured in separate road collisions in various parts of Uttar Pradesh due to a heavy fog considerably dipping visibility the previous night and Wednesday morning. According to state MeT officials, heavy fog was reported from across the state during the early hours of Wednesday, with visibility plunging down to less than 20 metres in certain areas. The MeT officials have forecast dense fog during the morning hours in the state for the next two days. In Bareilly district's Hafiz Ganj, two women were killed and a man injured when the motorcycle they were travelling on was hit by a tractor. "Sunita Devi (35) and Prabha Devi (36) were killed and Rajyapal was injured when the motorcycle they were travelling on was hit by a tractor on Wednesday morning," said Superintendent of Police (rural) Mukesh Chandra Mishra. The impact of the accident was so strong that the women were flung in the air and fell several metres away resulting in severe

13% decline in road accidents in Himachal Pradesh in 2023, say Police

Himachal Pradesh saw a 13 per cent drop in the number of road accidents reported in the state this year, police officials said on Friday. There has been a 13 per cent reduction in road traffic accidents, 19 per cent dip in deaths due to them and 15 per cent drop in injuries between January 1 and December 1 as compared to the same period in 2022, a statement issued here by the police headquarters said. The reduction in the number of road accidents reflects the greater awareness among drivers in Himachal Pradesh and the improvement in identifying black spots on national highways and district roads, Director General Police (DGP) Sanjay Kundu said. The number of accidents has come down despite a 10 per cent growth in road lengths and a nine per cent growth of vehicle registration, he said. The state police is determined to reduce traffic accidents by adopting best practices being followed the world over, he said. A team of the World Bank has also complimented the Himachal Pradesh Poli

SC notice to Delhi L-G office on 'Farishtey Dilli Ke': What is this scheme?

Under the 'Farishtey Dilli Ke' scheme, the government awards Rs 2,000 and a certificate to those taking accident victims to the hospital

At least 16 dead, 12 injured as bus falls off ravine in central Philippines

A passenger bus lost control while negotiating a downhill curve in a central Philippine mountain village and plunged into a deep ravine, killing at least 16 people and injuring 12 others, officials said Wednesday. Eight of the wounded in the accident, which happened Tuesday afternoon in Hamtic town in the province of Antique, were in critical condition at a local hospital, officials said. The air-conditioned bus, which came from the nearby Iloilo province, was maneuvering through the accident-prone mountain road when the driver, who was among those killed, lost control. The bus smashed onto a concrete railing then fell into the ravine, officials said. The driver was repeatedly sounding his horn because he had apparently lost control of the bus before it plummeted into the ravine, Ronniel Pabustan, an Antique provincial crisis responder, told The Associated Press by telephone, citing accounts by some of the passengers. Dozens of rescuers, including police, army troops and provincial

2 BRO officials injured in road accident on way to Silkyara tunnel

Two BRO officials were injured after their SUV was hit by a private bus near the Silkyara tunnel site on Sunday afternoon, police said. The accident occurred just half a kilometre away from the tunnel, where 41 workers have been trapped for 14 days, when three Border Roads Organisation (BRO) officials were on the way to the site in their official vehicle. An overloaded private bus coming from the opposite side rammed into their vehicle, an official said. The impact was such that their vehicle was dragged for a few metres before it stopped by the parapet along the hill road. The front portion of the SUV was completely damaged, the official added. Two BRO officials of the three travelling in the vehicle sustained head injuries in the accident, the official further said. They were rushed to a nearby hospital, where they were discharged after being given stitches. The matter is being probed, a police officer said.

37 killed, 19 hurt as bus falls into gorge in J&K's Doda: Officials

Five people were killed when a bus rolled down a gorge in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda District, Kashmir police said on Wednesday.The mishap took place in Assar village of Doda."A bus rolled down a gorge in the Assar area of Doda, 5 people have died, rescue operation is going on," Jammu and Kashmir Police said.Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh took to microblogging site X to confim that five people were killed and that the injured had being shifted to District Hospital Kistwar and Government Medical College Doda.He also said that he had spoken to the Doda District Commissioner, Harvinder Singh.The Union Minister also added in his post that all possible help is being provided to the injured people."Helicopter service to be arranged for shifting the more injured ones. All possible help, as required being provided. I am in constant touch," Singh said.Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti condoled the loss of lives in a post on X."Deeply shocked & saddened about ...

4 of family from Madhya Pradesh dead in road accident in Rajasthan's Bundi

Four members of a family from Madhya Pradesh died in Rajasthan's Bundi district in the early hours of Sunday when their car collided with a truck on National Highway 52, police said. The incident occurred in the Hindoli police station area when the victims were headed for Pushkar, they said. The deceased were identified as Devi Singh (50), his wife Maankhor Kanwar (45), his brother Rajaram (40) and nephew Jitendra (20), all residents of Gangukhedi village in Agar-Malwa district of Madhya Pradesh. The accident took place around 12.30 am when the SUV carrying the four people rammed into a heavy-duty truck from behind near Hindoli town, Circle Inspector at Hindoli police station Manoj Sikarwal said. The SUV was probably speeding and it seems that the truck ahead applied its brakes all of a sudden, causing the vehicle to ram into it, he said. Three people died on the spot and the woman succumbed to injuries during treatment at a hospital on Sunday morning, the official said. The truc

DTC electric bus rams into over a dozen vehicles in Delhi, one killed

A Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) low-floor electric bus rammed into more than a dozen vehicles in Rohini South here on Saturday, killing a man, police said. The accident occurred around 2.45 pm near Vishram Chowk in Awantika. The bus hit a car, then an e-rickshaw and two-wheelers parked on the side of a road, they said. Police have the CCTV footage of the crash. A man died on the spot while another was injured, police said, adding that it seems the bus driver lost control of the vehicle. The injured was hospitalised and further investigations are underway, they said.

Best of BS Opinion: Grassroots insurance, India's research riddle & more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

To encourage helmet usage, IRF submits proposal to make them GST-free

Section 129 of the Central Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 mandates the wearing of helmets for all two-wheeler riders

Road accident fatalities hit all-time high last year in India: Govt data

The year marked an increase of 11.9 per cent in accidents, 9.4 per cent in fatalities, and 15.3 per cent in injuries compared to 2021

12 killed after SUV rams into stationary truck in K'taka's Chikkaballapur

The accident took place on National Highway 44 near a traffic police station. Police suspect foggy weather to have been the cause of the mishap