GUWAHATI: The Assam government, on Tuesday (June 27), has laid down a plan to endure road safety in the state.
The plan laid by the Assam government is aimed at mitigating the number of road accident cases in the state.
It may be mentioned here that Assam is one of the few states in the country that reports high number of road accident cases every year.
In 2022, Assam witnessed as many as 7023 cases of road accidents that resulted in at least 2994 fatalities.
Assam has a severity rate of 41 percent, which is way higher than the national average of 37 percent.
Main causes road accidents in Assam are: over speeding, drunk driving, mobile usage, jumping red lights.
While over speeding accounts to 68 percent of the total number of accidents in Assam, drunk driving accounts for 9.14 percent, mobile usage for 3.60 percent and jumping red lights for 1.52 percent.
In the month of May this year alone, Assam recorded as many as 686 cases of road accidents that claimed the lives of at least 306 people.
With the aim to mitigate road accident cases in Assam, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma held a high level meeting with officials of all concerned departments on Tuesday (June 27).
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma instructed officials to adopt a holistic approach of effective communication, pro-safety construction and extensive enforcement to ensure road safety in the state.
THE WAY AHEAD:
- Rectification of 132 accident black spots across the state
- Vigorous drive against drunk driving, over speeding and non-wearing of helmets
- 100% installation of traffic calming measures in major and minor road convergence point and increased highway patrolling
- Removal of encroachment and construction of bus and truck bays in national highways
- Building a comprehensive trauma care plan with thoroughly drafted emergency planning measures
- Close monitoring in districts by DCs and SPs
Meanwhile, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the state government aims “to make road safety awareness a people’s movement”.
“In state government programs, I have urged officials to skip felicitating me and utilize that time to screen a road safety video,” said Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.
He added: “Let’s prioritize saving lives on the roads.”