'Don't Wait for Accident Site to Turn Into Black Spot': Regional Officers Can Now Take Advance Action on Police Reports

The ministry of road transport and highways has empowered regional officers to take advance measures on accident sites based on police reports, “without waiting for converting them into black spots after accidents”.

In a letter to state incharges dealing with highway projects, the ministry said the proposals for immediate short-term rectification measures of the accident spots reported by the police online may be taken up and sanctioned by the regional officers (RO) at their own level.

Last month, News18 had reported about the ministry’s online portal to fast-track identification of black spots and corrective measures. With the help of the portal – Electronic-detailed Accident Report (eDAR) – the ministry has managed to identify black spots in just three months as compared to four to five years before.

The letter further said all accident data, at present, is being recorded by the local police on the eDAR platform. All the ROs have access to these details for working out an action plan for remedial measures based on the firsthand analysis of the reasons behind an accident or fatalities.

“…the proposals for immediate short-term rectification measures of these accident spots reported on eDAR platform may also be taken up and sanctioned by the ROs at their own level out of provisions of contingencies of ongoing or any other NH work in the state concerned as per guidelines issued…” the letter stated.

Black spots are usually short stretches on a road where accidents and fatalities repeatedly take place. These spots are created on the road network due to a number of reasons, including commissions and omissions in development projects and changes in the roadside environment. They also appear due to changes in developmental scenarios in the region, including unplanned and unauthorised constructions on and near the road.

With these steps, the ministry is aiming at faster action to fix issues related to road design that cause accidents and deaths. According to the ministry’s latest accident report – Road Accidents in India 2022 – 4.61 lakh road accidents were reported in 2022, killing 1.68 lakh people and injuring 4.43 lakh.