Driving style must change on Ring Road

Driving style must change on Ring Road
Ambarish B | TNN


Even as the introduction of one-ways and signal junctions have brought down the accident rate, it is drastically increasing on the city outskirts, specially on highways. The traffic police feel lack of adaptability to the changing traffic scenario on the outer roads is leading to fatal accidents. All in all 208 persons died in highway accidents during the year 2006.
What makes these roads accident prone? Lack of safety measures and carelessness of drivers. Widened highways with limited U turns, too many cross roads have contributed to the high accident rate.
“Driving on highways and city roads are entirely different skills. Accidents take place when drivers don’t adopt techniques needed to drive on highways. We can’t install too many signal lights on highways. When the Outer Ring Road was opened for traffic, there were a series of pedestrian deaths, due to negligence. However, the accidents came down gradually,’’ traffic officials explained. Trucks are number one killers - 197 deaths last year. They continue to be the major killers having claimed 55 lives till March this year. Experts say private bus and car drivers need to adopt defensive driving on highways and outer roads. This apart, they claim unless all work on the roads is completed, accident rates would not come down.
KILLER ROADS
Hosur Road
A stretch which has seen highest number of fatal accidents - 49 - in 2006. Work on elevated road is one of the reasons for increasing cases. Quick solution: Soon, KSRTC, private buses and all goods carriers will have a separate route. They will have to use Sarjapur to Dommasandra junction route. The elevated road project also has a plan for a tunnel for pedestrians.
Tumkur Road
The proposal for an elevated road has seen no progress. The whole stretch up to Jalahalli circle has no pedestrian crossing. Road widening has taken place. However, it has not been developed. As a result, hazardous parking and illegal shops have erupted. The result: loss of 30 lives in 2006.
Old Madras Road
Even here, the road work has resulted in hazardous stretches. In all, 28 people lost their lives on this road.
Mysore Road and Bellary Road
Though these two roads have been widened, increase in number of vehicles and poor lane discipline has lead to the death of 6 people. On Bellary Road, work on the service road has come to a halt. Hence, all BMTC buses stop on the highway. On Mysore Road from Sirsi Circle to Jnanabharathi cross roads, carelessness have resulted in more accidents.