Bowenpally road mishap: Hyderabad Traffic Police special drive on RTC buses, heavy vehicles

HYDERABAD: In order to reduce road accidents and life-threatening traffic violations by RTC and other heavy vehicles, Hyderabad Traffic Police will launch a special drive on January 4, 2023. This special drive was intended to enhance road safety and, in particular, pedestrian safety.

Overspeeding, dangerous driving, wrong-side driving, signal jumping, drunk driving, cell phone driving, stop line/zebra line crossing, Obstruction of the free left, Stopping on the carriageway, Not stopping in bus bays and using multi-toned horns would be targeted by Hyderabad traffic cops.

On January 1, a road accident case involving two pedestrians (an old couple from Nirmal) being struck by an RTC bus and instantly killing two senior citizens was registered within the Bowenpally Police Station limits.

According to Hyderabad traffic police, the reconstruction of the crime scene and analysis of the above road accident conclusively demonstrated the RTC bus driver's gross negligence. Hyderabad traffic police, whose top priority is road safety, conducted several special drives to ensure Hyderabad City roads are safe for commuting and to reduce traffic fatalities.

As many as 3, 909 traffic challans were issued against RTC buses in 2022 for traffic infractions, including life-threatening ones like signal jumping, driving too fast or dangerously, driving on the wrong side of the road, and unlawful parking or obstacles.

In 2022, 41 commuters were killed in road accidents involving RTC buses, 21 of whom were pedestrians. RTC buses were responsible for 13 percent of total fatalities in 2022.

To raise road safety awareness, the Hyderabad Traffic Police visited RTC depots and held 82 awareness classes, during which 4,303 RTC employees were given comprehensive road safety knowledge and sensitised to traffic laws and rules. Hyderabad Traffic Police also held several coordination meetings with RTC senior officials to assess the ground-level situation and seek their immediate attention to ensure road safety and traffic regulation in the city of Hyderabad.