Road Accidents: Road Deaths Reduced by Improving Black Spots in Nagpur District | Nagpur News

Nagpur: An average of 800 people die in road accidents in Nagpur city and district every year. In view of this, a task has been undertaken to identify black spots. If the black spots are improved, the number of fatalities can be reduced by 500, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said after chairing a review meeting with the district road safety committee for the Nagpur Zero Fatality District initiative. “Fleeing after a collision is the second biggest reason for fatalities in road accidents. Also, encroachments on footpaths prevent pedestrians, especially senior citizens and people with disabilities, from using the paths, leading to accidents,” the minister said. He directed the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) to clean encroachments on pavements and remove concrete structures blocking footpaths. He also called for strict enforcement of parking rules to discourage illegal parking and urged the traffic police to take strong action against vehicles in no-parking zones. Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Gadkari said, “Every year, around five lakh people die on the roads nationally, with 65% of the victims being between the age group of 18 and 34. However, if we can improve the black spots, we can reduce the number of deaths in the district by 500.” Gadkari also announced plans to deploy four fully equipped vehicles with extensive medical facilities and a team of doctors on standby for emergency response. “In many cases, people have lost their lives because people trapped in damaged vehicles could not be evacuated in time. These vehicles will be equipped with cutting blades and other essential tools along with a team of doctors to provide immediate assistance,” he said. The Union minister called for a coordinated effort between the medical department, police and the revenue collector’s office to create a robust emergency response system that can save lives during the ‘golden hour’ after an accident. Income Tax Collector Vipin Itankar told TOI that several black spots have improved in the past year, “reducing the number of fatalities by around 20-30%”. “We are implementing all interventions recommended by experts,” he said. Itankar further said that 97 black spots have been identified in the district — 40 in the city and 57 in rural areas. He also stressed that necessary funds will be allocated for interventions. Pravin Tiwari, chairman of Save Life Foundation, informed the meeting that 440 people died in road accidents in rural areas of Nagpur last year, while there has been a 4% reduction in accidents this year. “Nagpur city reported 308 fatalities last year. While some progress has been made, significant improvements are still needed,” he said.