Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh recorded fewer road accidents and fatalities in March, April, and May this year, according to transport department data, offering a positive sign for a state that reports the highest number of road crash deaths in the country — about 22,000 annually.
Stricter Enforcement Key to Improvement
Officials attributed the improvement largely to stricter enforcement, including the suspension of 797 driving licences over the three-month period.
In March, 1,876 road accidents were recorded in the state, claiming 2,008 lives. However, a reduction in these figures was noted in April, with total accidents falling to 1,697 and the death toll to 1,838. The most notable improvement was seen in May, when the number of accidents dropped to 1,004, and fatalities to 1,111.
Minister Highlights Awareness Drives
Minister of state for transport (independent charge), Dayashankar Singh, attributed the drop to intensive enforcement drives and awareness programmes launched by the state government.
“It is a result of curbing overspeeding and taking strict punitive action against traffic violators,” he said, adding that under the ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy, 797 driving licences were suspended and 20 permanently cancelled in accordance with Section 19 of the Motor Vehicles Act. Strict action was taken against negligent and erring drivers under the MV Act. The department issued notices in 1,246 cases of traffic rule violations over the past three months (434 in March, 380 in April, and 432 in May).
Breakdown of Licence Suspensions
Of the total licence suspensions, 231 were in March, 213 in April, and 353 in May. Additionally, licences in 20 cases involving gross negligence and serious violations were permanently revoked.
Decline in Hit-and-Run Cases
A consistent decline was also recorded in ‘hit-and-run’ cases involving unidentified vehicles. While 529 such cases were reported in March, effective patrolling and monitoring brought the figure down to 468 in April and 275 in May. A total of 1,272 such cases were registered over this three-month period.
The minister said the department would continue such rigorous enforcement actions in the future to reduce accidents and loss of life.
