State records 176 road fatalities in 2019

NEW DELHI: Roads in Meghalaya continue to be killer roads with a record of 176 deaths due to mishaps in 2019 after Assam and Tripura, according to recent official figures.
In the North East, Assam topped the list with the highest number of deaths due to road accidents, a report, released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), revealed.
Assam recorded 3,843 deaths in 2019, the highest in the region, followed by 271 deaths in Tripura and 176 in Meghalaya, the report said.
Most of the deaths were due to overspeeding, drunk driving and driving sans helmets, it added.
More accidents take place on national highways than on other roads.
Incidentally, Meghalaya also has many “black spots” which are highly accident-prone.
The government has, however, taken up special safety measures on such vulnerable points.
An accident black spot or black spot is a place where road traffic accidents have historically been concentrated.
Guidelines for identification and rectification of black spots, carrying out road-safety audits and preparation of road-safety improvement proposals on national highways are some of the measures to minimise road accidents.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, on Monday said that his Ministry has taken several initiatives to reduce road accidents including intelligent transport systems in the country.
The Union miniter added that the World Bank and ADB are providing Rs 7,000 crore each for this purpose to remove black spots from national highways.
Only recently, a man was killed in an accident in Ri Bhoi District after losing control of his bike.
The body was then rushed to Nongpoh Civil Hospital for autopsy while the truck was detained by the police.