Mishaps on the rise in Shillong-Ladrymbai road

SHILLONG: Rash and negligent driving has resulted in several fatal accidents on the Shillong-Jowai- Ladrymbai road of late
Worse still, speeding trucks are making life horrible for other vehicles. Apparently, drivers are not adhering to the rule of using indicators while taking turns.
West Jaintia Hills superintendent of police R Muthu said accidents happen mostly because of rash and negligent driving even as the district police conduct patrols on the highway to curb the menace.
The SP also attributed accidents to lack of proper road engineering in the stretch from Mawryngkneng to Ummulong, which needed to be corrected.
“There are lots of turns and points, and if you miss those, your vehicle goes down. Many trucks along the stretch have lost control and gone down. The district police have already taken up the matter with the PWD,” Muthu said.
“Though they have put up a signboard but that is not enough,” he said.
He further said the district police have conducted awareness programmes on road safety in several schools and colleges where, among others, the importance of wearing seats belts was stressed. The police, he said,  was taking measures against drunken driving as well.
Road mishaps have claimed several lives in the state in the past two years. While the number of people killed in road accidents in the state was 207 in the year 2015, the toll in 2016 was 204.