AP to set up rest areas for drivers on National Highways

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh would soon have resting areas with all amenities for drivers at every 100 km on National Highways in the state. The resting zones for drivers would have parking spaces, lounges, commercial complexes and toilets, allowing drivers to rest for some time, an official statement said.

This is one of the many initiatives the government is taking up to bring down the number of accidents in the state, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said on Monday during a meeting with Road Safety Council here.

For the Road Safety Fund, the government would sanction Rs 10 crore, he said. The Chief Minister also suggested forming a committee that would exclusively analyse the accidents in the state and submit a monthly report, linking it to the type of vehicle, type of road, reasons behind the accident and stating reasons on how each mishap could have been avoided.

According to officials, 78.43 per cent of accidents happen due to drivers' fault. Of the total accidents, 74 per cent happen due to drunk driving and over-speeding, they said. As an immediate step towards bringing down accident rate by 30 per cent, the Chief Minister suggested improving signages, identifying blind spots and correcting them as well as improving markings on the roads.

In addition, Naidu suggested decreasing or partial removal of boards of wine/liquor shops on highways. This will decrease the visibility of wine shops and reduce the number of drunken driving cases/accidents, he said. He suggested the Road Safety Council to hold workshops in educational institutions and other programmes on following traffic rules and educating them on signages.