Dense foggy conditions in the winter have turned out to be death traps in the district. In a series of bizarre road accidents after Christmas, 15 persons have lost their lives and all the accidents have taken place in the early hours revealing a startling pattern.
On Wednesday morning, six persons were killed in two road accidents at Nadendla village and at Dachepalli. A man and son from Tenali, who were returning to Hyderabad after spending time at home during Christmas, were killed when their car rammed a container at Dachepalli.
A woman who was seriously injured in the accident, succumbed to the injuries later. In the second mishap, three persons from Phirangipuram were killed when their motorcycle was rammed by an unknown truck at Sathuluru village. The deceased were identified as Danaiah, John and Deenaiah.
The two mishaps remind a similar incident on December 27, 2017 at Repudi village in Phirangipuram village in which four students, including three girls, were killed when an RTC bus crashed into an autorickshaw. The students were going early to attend special classes at Intel English Medium School at Phirangipuram.
Poor visibility
Driving in foggy conditions is extremely dangerous as the visibility is reduced to a bare minimum of 10-15 feet. Most vehicles in the country do not use fog lights that can increase the visibility. Use of blinkers can also alert the vehicles coming from the opposite direction. During nights, drivers depend on reflectors dotting the highways.
Taking a note of the series of road accidents, SP S.V. Rajasekhara Babu said that dangerous black spots have been identified along the State and national highways and asked drivers to be cautious of weather conditions.
“We are advising drivers to go slow in foggy conditions between 11 pm and 9 am. Vehicle drivers are advised not to park their vehicles on the roads,” said Mr. Rajasekhara Babu.
The pattern of road accidents in Guntur Urban District Police limits indicate a high number of casualties. In 2018, 276 persons have lost their lives in 793 road accidents and in the year 2017, 284 persons lost their lives in 866 road accidents.
