SHILLONG, July 24: Road accidents have claimed the lives of 274 people in East Khasi Hills district in the last five years, records show.
Most of the accidents happened in the state capital and its outskirts.
According to official data, there were 340 road accidents between 2017 and 2021, in which 274 people died while 440 others were injured.
In 2017, there were 66 road accidents in which 47 people died and 147 were injured. The number of accidents increased to 75 in 2018, killing 48 people and injuring 75 others.
The numbers went up further in 2019 with 89 road accidents leaving 65 people dead and 114 injured.
The next two years saw fewer accidents primarily because of COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions. A total of 104 people died in 110 accidents during these two years.
Traffic police officials said a large number of vehicles involved in the road accidents were two-wheelers. Two-wheelers were involved in 115 of the 340 mishaps in the last five years. While four-wheelers accounted for 141 accidents in the last five years, heavy vehicles were involved in 76 mishaps.
Given the rate of accidents, the process of issuing driving licenses has come under the scanner although the Shillong Traffic Police have been conducting frequent checking of papers for two-wheelers. “The volume of traffic on the city roads has increased rapidly, thus increasing the chances of accidents,” a traffic cop said.
