Pedestrians involved in 22% road crash cases in Himachal Pradesh: Data

Road accidents in Himachal Pradesh have claimed 6,530 lives and left 26,600 people injured in the past six years, with pedestrians being hit in 22 per cent cases and accounting for 15 per cent deaths, according to police data.

In the latest accident on Tuesday, a car ploughed into a group of migrant labourers in Solan district, killing five and injuring four.

Road accidents per 10,000 vehicles in the hill state was 17.1 per cent as compared to the national average of 15.1 per cent in 2019, while the number of accidental deaths per 10,000 vehicles was seven per cent compared to 5.1 per cent at the national level, the police data stated.

Pedestrians were hit in 22 per cent cases of accidents in the state, while head-on collision and cases of vehicles veering off the road accounted for 22 per cent accidents each, it stated.

More than 80 per cent of accidents were reported in rural areas, according to an analysis of the police data for the last six years.

The highest number of accidents and fatalities occurred on national highways followed by link roads and state highways, and over 200 people were killed in hit-and-run incidents.

Majority of accidents involving pedestrians occur at night due to poor visibility, according to police.

Kangra district topped in pedestrian deaths in road accidents followed by Una and Baddi, and over-speeding, rash and negligent driving and drunk driving, mainly in plain areas, were responsible for pedestrian deaths, according to an analysis of the data.

Areas under the police jurisdiction of Baddi, Una, Paonta Sahib, Nalagarh, Kullu, Amb, Nurpur, Sadar Hamirpur, Balh and Kangra reported majority of the accidents involving pedestrians.

Ten police stations with maximum number of accidents have been identified and superintendents of police have been directed to take steps in coordination with departments concerned to reduce accidents, Director General of Police (DGP) Sanjay Kundu said in a tweet following the Tuesday accident

Besides over-speeding, blind bends, lack of crash barriers, drunken driving was the cause of many accidents.

"We are serious about tackling the menace of drunken driving as this can also land other drivers and passersby in trouble. At present, over 65 alcohol-sensors are available with the police (at least five each in every district) to deal with people driving under the influence of alcohol," Additional Superintendent of Police (Traffic) P Narvir Singh Rathore told PTI.

More alcohol-sensors would be procured to keep a check on drunken driving. Effective challan for traffic violation is also being ensured, he added.

The number of vehicles is growing at nine percent (about 1.4 lakh) annually and the total number of vehicles registered in the state is over 20 lakhs and over 20,000 vehicles enter the state daily during peak tourist season, officials said.