Safety audit to identify accident-prone spots on

Nellore: The civil engineering students and professors of various engineering colleges in the district are voluntarily conducting safety audit on the National Highway-16 for identifying black spots. The Police and Transport departments organised the exercise with an assistance of local engineering colleges for preparing a blueprint on the measures to be taken for reducing road accidents on a 200-km stretch NH spread between Kavali and Tada.

• The Police and Transport depts collected information about the black spots on NH-16
• 500 students of final year civil engineering stream from 5 engineering colleges voluntarily participated in the audit
• In Nellore district, 205 deaths were registered on NH in 2015; 162 deaths in 2016 and 126 deaths till 2017 September-end
  

Speaking to The Hans India, District Superintendent of Police (SP) PHD Ramakrishna said that 30 black spots were identified initially on the NH-16. After the safety audit, the number of black spots were increased to 56, the SP stated. In fact, the Transport department had also focused on the project as part of their efforts to reduce accidents on the entire NH across the state.

Local Motor Vehicle Inspector Balamurali Krishna, who shouldered the responsibility of contacting local engineering colleges for their support, was involved in collecting data of vulnerable areas on the highway. Around 500 students were given adequate training for 15 days on identifying black spots based on parameters and issues related to the safety audit. 4-5 members of final year civil engineering students were teamed up in each group for taking up safety audit for every two kilometers with the support of the faculty members.

Sri Venkateswara Engineering College, Rajupalem; Viswodaya Engineering College and RSR Engineering College at Kavali; Priyadarshini Engineering College, Nellore and NBKR Institute of Science and Technology, Vidyanagar participated in the survey, he added. The parameters that were checked are presence of display/sign boards, electricity poles, unofficial curves on the way, measures to prevent flow of flocks of cattle etc on the NH and 400 were interviewed through the survey as per the proforma provided.

Local ASIs, SIs, CIs and DSPs also monitored the activity by supporting the audit with their practical knowledge. Almost total work was over on a single day. “We have collected the entire data regarding 186 km stretch on the NH from Kavali to Tada and would send it to the Transport Commissioner for analysis. In turn, he would forward it to the NHAI for concrete action.

It was nice activity and role of police was highly supportive,” said Balamurali Krishna. Data says 205 deaths occurred on NH in 2015; 162 deaths in 2016 and 126 deaths till the end of September in 2017. State occupies seventh place in the accidents across the country with 8,541 deaths in 2016. On an average, 40 persons are losing their lives because of accidents in the district every month.

In which, 37 per cent accidents are due to two-wheelers. 10-12 deaths are being reported on the NH every month. “We have already taken measures with the cooperation of the Transport department for bringing down the accident rate on the NH,” said N Sudhakar, Road Safety Nodal Officer from the Police department.

The SP added that they had augmented police patrolling on the NH for reducing accidents especially at the 59 black spots identified till now. We will take measures once we receive an analysis report on the information collected through the audit, he stated.

By P V Prasad