Anakapalli police draw up action plan to curb road mishaps

Anakapalli: In a concrete move to curb the rising number of road accidents, Anakapalli district police have launched a comprehensive enforcement and awareness campaign across the district. The focus is more along the accident-prone stretches of National Highway-16.

Keeping the recent statistics in view, district authorities noted 62 accidents occurred in January, resulting in 34 fatalities. Of them, 10 deaths were attributed to not using helmets. Taking serious note of the situation, district Superintendent of Police Tuhin Sinha directed the officials to implement a special action plan aimed at strengthening highway safety measures.

Under the supervision of Additional SP L Mohana Rao, a coordination meeting was carried out with personnel from nine highway mobile teams, focusing on strict enforcement and proactive surveillance. As part of visible policing, Anakapalli police will deploy additional staff during peak hours i.e., 9 am to 12 noon and 6 pm to 9 pm. Along with surveillance, the district police will also place warning signboards, increase inspections and continuous monitoring.

Special emphasis is being placed on drunken drive checks, prevention of wrong-side driving, over-speeding, and helmet and seat-belt violations and strict cases will be registered against offenders. Authorities have also initiated measures to prevent unauthorised use of median cuts and ensure that roadside eateries provide designated parking bays for vehicles.

To combat night-time fatigue among heavy-vehicle drivers, Anakapalli police will continue implementing ‘Stop, Wash and Go’ initiative across key highway points. Patrol vehicles have been equipped with essential safety gear, including radium jackets, warning boards, baton lights and first-aid kits, ensuring quicker emergency response. The police officials underlined that road safety is a shared responsibility and warned that there will be zero tolerance for traffic violations as the district steps up efforts to protect lives and make highways safer for the road users.