Amritsar, January 8
With road accidents being reported almost daily due to fog resulting in death and injuries, commuters have once again pointed towards the non-availability of user-friendly infrastructure to guide drivers during the fog.
Even on Saturday night, at least three road accidents were reported. In one of these, a car fell off the flyover near Verka bypass after hitting the railings. In another, a car hit a biker from behind and then hit the safety grills of the BRTS corridor.
Earlier this week, four lives were lost in an accident near Attari after a car hit an auto-rickshaw from the rear. The rickshaw reportedly had 12 passengers at the time of the accident. While the lack of required infrastructure is a serious concern, the drivers of most vehicles also seem to disregard the road safety norms.
Said a traffic police officer, “In most accidents occurring during the foggy season, a vehicle hits another from the rear. This happens when the vehicle going ahead does not have proper tail lights and reflectors as a result of which the driver fails to spot the vehicle going ahead of him.” He said that residents should check the tail lights of their vehicles and ensure that these are in proper working condition.
It has also been seen that even though most drivers switch on their front headlights, they keep it on high beam which gets reflected and further decreases the visibility. For better results, the drivers should adjust their headlights on low beam.
The drivers are also required to use the indicators or parking lights to alert the driver of an approaching vehicle. “The urge to overtake vehicles, especially buses, trolleys and trucks, should be kept under control. You can see the vehicle going in front of you but you fail to see what is coming from the opposite side,” said Gurmel Singh, a roadways driver. He said that in his experience, he has seen that the drivers of vehicles who are high on alcohol fail to respond in time which results in an accident.
