Road accidents in this state have claimed 6,530 lives in last six years

As many as 6,530 people have died and 26,600 have been injured due to road accidents in Himachal Pradesh in the past six years. About 22% of these cases saw pedestrians being hit by vehicles and accounting for 15% of the total deaths, as per police data. Road accidents per 10,000 vehicles in the state was 17.1 per cent as compared to the national average of 15.1 per cent in 2019.

The number of accidental deaths per 10,000 vehicles was seven per cent compared to 5.1 per cent at the national level, the data stated. Meanwhile, a car ploughed into a group of migrant labourers in Solan district of the state on Tuesday, killing five and injuring four.

Cases of head-on collisions and vehicles veering off the road accounted for 22 per cent accidents each, out of the total in the said period. Over 200 people were killed in hit-and-run incidents. Over 80 per cent of accidents were reported in rural areas, as per an analysis of the police data for the last six years.

The maximum number of accidents and fatalities occurred on national highways followed by link roads and state highways. Majority of accidents involving pedestrians occurred at night due to poor visibility, the analysis reported.

Major reasons for these accidents were identified as over-speeding, blind bends, lack of crash barriers, and drunken driving, among others. The state police is also planning to install more alcohol-sensors to keep a check on drunken driving. Effective challan for traffic violation is also being ensured. "We are serious about tackling the menace of drunken driving as this can also land other drivers and passersby in trouble," Additional Superintendent of Police (Traffic) P Narvir Singh Rathore told PTI.

(with inputs from PTI)