Odisha largely free from caste, religion resonance in electoral politics
Caste calculation, religious affiliation has never emerged as a tool to woo voters.
The over-speeding, non-wearing of helmets by motorcyclists is attributed to be the major causes of road accident fatalities in the State with 8 in 10 riders who lost their lives in road accidents found not sporting the life-saving safety gear like helmet.
The road accident fatalities in 2020 had dropped by 11% in comparison to 2019. But there is nothing to cheer about as the accidents dropped due to enforced lockdown.
In 2020, 4,738 died while over 5,000 were critically injured. In 100 road accidents, Odisha has recorded 48 deaths more than the national average of 36 deaths-per-100 accidents.
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All these disturbing trends make projections towards further enhancement of road safety measures in Odisha, Transport Minister Padmanabha Behera said while presiding over a high-level review meeting here yesterday.
It’s the motorcyclists and two-wheeler riders who are perishing in large numbers every year as they throw road safety norms to the wind and get killed in road accidents.
As many as 53% of those who died in road accidents were motorcyclists while the death of 80% of the victims were attributed to helmetless driving.
The 2020 year saw the death of 2,511 motorcyclists and two-wheeler-riders. Of the ill-fated road accident victims, as many as 2,008 did not sports helmets.
As many as 1,331 accident-prone black spots have been identified across the State. The districts of Jajpur, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Angul, Dhenkanal, Balasore, Ganjam, Cuttack and Khordha districts are reporting the highest cases of road accident fatalities.
The Rural Development and works department, State Transport Authority, Police and National Highway authorities are working in a coordinated manner to bring down the accident and fatality rate in the State, the transport minister Behera said.
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