Bhubaneswar: Rising road accidents have become a major concern for residents of Bhubaneswar, with reckless driving, drunk driving, and repeated traffic rule violations continuing to claim lives.
According to records, more than 1,200 road accidents have occurred in the city over the past four-and-a-half years, resulting in over 850 deaths. The situation has worsened this year. By the end of June, more than 400 accidents had already been reported, claiming nearly 100 lives. The number is said to be three times higher than the corresponding period last year.
Road safety expert Subrat Kumar Nanda attributed the rising fatalities to habitual traffic offenders. He said many vehicles involved in serious accidents had a history of repeatedly violating traffic rules. In some cases, individual vehicles had reportedly violated traffic regulations as many as 70 times before being involved in accidents.
A majority of the fatal accidents in Bhubaneswar have occurred along National Highway-16. Records indicate that accident-prone areas include Pahala, Infovalley, Khandagiri, Tamando, Sahid Nagar, Nayapalli, Dhauli, Mancheshwar and Jatni police station limits. These areas, most of which fall along NH-16, have accounted for more than 70 road accident deaths this year, which is around 72 per cent of all road accident fatalities in the city.
Experts have also stressed the importance of the “golden hour”, the first hour after a road accident, when prompt medical assistance can significantly improve survival chances. Although the Good Samaritan Policy introduced in 2020 encourages bystanders to help accident victims, lack of public awareness has limited its effectiveness.
The government later introduced the Rah-Veer scheme, under which people who assist accident victims during the golden hour are eligible for a reward of Rs 25,000 and a certificate of appreciation.
Nanda said ambulance services continue to prioritise taking victims to government hospitals instead of the nearest available medical facility. He opined that allowing both government and private ambulances to respond to accident cases and transport victims to the nearest suitable hospital could help reduce fatalities. He added that the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety has also recommended involving both government and private ambulance services in emergency response to improve survival rates.
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