The Congress party in Uttar Pradesh highlighted the issue of increasing road accidents and deaths in the state, criticizing the government for insufficient measures to enhance road safety. During a legislative discussion, Congress leader Aradhana Mishra ‘Mona’ emphasized the need for concrete and technology-driven interventions at accident-prone areas known as “black spots.”
Mishra pointed out that Uttar Pradesh, with a population exceeding 25 crore, has witnessed a surge in road accidents, becoming a leader in this unfortunate statistic. Data revealed that speeding contributes to 56% of accidents, while 12% of fatalities result from wrong-side driving and 8% from drunk driving.
The Congress representative disclosed that Uttar Pradesh records approximately 45,000 road accidents annually, leading to over 24,000 deaths. She highlighted a concerning trend where road fatalities escalated from 16,000 in 2014 to more than 24,000 in 2024, translating to an average of 65 daily fatalities, with over half of the victims being young individuals.
Mishra criticized the government’s response to identified black spots, citing examples like Agra, where 44 black spots were identified, resulting in 586 fatalities in 2024. Despite this, permanent rectification of road flaws remains pending. Mishra also mentioned specific accidents, including a tragic incident in Mathura and overspeeding-related crashes in Rae Bareli and Kanpur.
The Congress leader called for comprehensive actions such as expert engineering audits of black spots, infrastructure upgrades, implementation of Intelligent Traffic Management Systems, enhanced digital traffic monitoring, increased traffic personnel recruitment, and mandatory road safety education in educational institutions. She also stressed the necessity for a transparent and long-term support system for families affected by road accidents.
