Visakhapatnam: Buoyed by encouraging results in road safety, Visakhapatnam administration has announced a reward of Rs 5,000 for individuals who rescue those injured in road accidents, promoting the 'Good Samaritan' initiative. People have been urged to cooperate with the transport and police departments under the 'Vision Zero' slogan, aimed at reducing road accidents.

The Steel City has secured first rank in road safety, as it achieved the highest drop of 34.5% in road accidents in 2022, a report released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) said.

The 'Road Accidents in India-2022' report indicates that Visakhapatnam, with a population exceeding 10 lakh, now stands 22nd among the 50 most accident-prone cities in the country, a significant improvement from its seventh position in 2021. The number of accidents decreased from 2,339 in 2021 to 1,531 in 2022. Additionally, fatalities dropped from 368 to 358, and the number of injuries reduced from 1,533 to 1,288.

Chennai secured the second rank with a 31.4% reduction in accidents, followed by Patna in third place with a 28.4% drop. Mumbai recorded a 15% decrease in accidents, earning it the fourth position.

Analysis of the data said that over-speeding was the primary cause, accounting for 83.14% of accidents, resulting in 301 deaths and 1,842 injuries out of the total reported accidents.

Specific accident patterns indicate that wrong-way driving caused 27 accidents, leading to nine fatalities and 26 injuries. Most accidents occurred on straight roads (1,017), with 111 at road bends, 473 at intersections, and 11 at culverts.

Two-wheeler accidents accounted for the highest number, with 79 reported incidents causing 179 deaths and 748 injuries. Autos were involved in 51 accidents, leading to 13 deaths, while trucks contributed to 30 accidents with seven fatalities. Buses were involved in 18 accidents, causing four deaths, and were implicated in 105 out of 418 reported accidents. Unfortunately, a significant number of pedestrians lost their lives in these incidents.

Deputy Transport Commissioner GC Raja Ratnam highlighted the initiatives undertaken to improve road safety in the city, including an allocation of approximately Rs 21 crore for road expansion, installation of speed breakers, signals, and intersection development. Regular Road Safety Committee meetings, led by the district Collector and the panel's chairman, were conducted.

Emphasizing the role of law enforcement, he said that fines amounting to Rs 5 lakh were collected through over 4,200 cases of drunk driving, over-speeding, and other road safety violations. Awareness programs were organized at major intersections, colleges, and schools in collaboration with the police and transport departments, focusing on educating people about the importance of timely medical assistance for accident victims.