Lucknow, Feb 13 (NationPress) The Congress party on Friday highlighted the alarming surge in road accidents and fatalities across Uttar Pradesh, criticizing the state government for its inadequate and largely superficial efforts to enhance road safety.

During a discussion under Rule 56 in the Assembly, Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra ‘Mona’ called for urgent and technology-based measures at identified accident-prone areas, commonly known as "black spots".

With a population exceeding 25 crore, and millions commuting daily, Uttar Pradesh has unfortunately become a leader in road mishaps.

Citing statistics, she noted that speeding is responsible for 56 percent of these incidents, while 12 percent of fatalities arise from wrong-side driving, and 8 percent from drunk driving.

According to Mishra, approximately 45,000 road accidents occur annually in the state, leading to over 24,000 deaths. She highlighted that road fatalities have escalated from 16,000 in 2014 to more than 24,000 in 2024.

"Currently, an average of 65 individuals perish daily – nearly three each hour. A family is shattered every 20 minutes," she emphasized, pointing out that over half of the victims are young individuals.

Mishra criticized the government's actions regarding identified black spots as being merely cosmetic. She mentioned that 44 black spots have been recognized in the Agra district alone, where 586 individuals lost their lives in 2024. Barabanki is listed among the top 100 black spots in the country, yet the permanent resolution of road alignment and design issues remains unaddressed.

Citing a tragic incident on the Yamuna Expressway in Mathura, where a dumper ran over 10 passengers disembarking from a bus, and another deadly crash on the under-construction Ganga Expressway in Rae Bareli, she also referenced a speeding-related accident in Kanpur that resulted in 10 fatalities.

The Congress lawmaker deemed the road safety campaign carried out until January 31 as a mere publicity stunt. "Simply spending money won’t prevent accidents," she stated.

Addressing the lack of manpower, she noted that while the state boasts over 5 crore registered vehicles, it only has around 9,000 traffic police personnel, well below the sanctioned 11,930 posts. She argued that at least 30,000 traffic personnel are necessary to comply with the standards set by the Supreme Court’s Road Safety Committee.

Mishra urged the government to conduct expert engineering audits of all black spots, enhance road infrastructure and design, implement Intelligent Traffic Management Systems (ITMS) in every district, boost digital traffic monitoring, fill vacancies in the traffic police and home guards, and introduce mandatory road safety education in schools and colleges.

Additionally, she called for a transparent and permanent support system for families impacted by road accidents.