Dark Spot Mapping

    Despite upgradation of roads across India, it is still cause of concern for authorities to reduce accidents, and it can be due to various reasons, some can be-

• Fast Driving
• Tension or Stress
• Not proper rest
• Age Factor
• Take Overs
• Not following Traffic Signals / Rules
• Not fully focus on to Road Traffic or busy in talking with others or using mobile
• Drugs
• Work overload

but there is no doubt all the above coded reasons points towards Drivers mistake or human error, data prepared in the year 2008 on road accidents happened in the country and people lost there lives are –

• Reason - Percentage
• Driver mistake - 74.6 %
• Fault in Vehicle - 2.3 %
• Mistake of lane crosser- 1.9 %
• Faulty Roads- 1.8 %
• Mistake by cycle -1.5 %
• Weather disturbances-1.2 %
• Other reasons -16.9 %
• Fast driving -5.924 %
• Driving after intake of intoxication- 7.648 %

In majority of accidents, study research reveals, almost seventy five percent accidents occurred due to driver faults, but for government to reduce /minimise the numbers of accidents is a challenge, now Punjab Government with the financial assistance from World Bank has taken initiatives to get rid on to the accidents happening in Punjab State, and started work on it, survey will complete in the next six months period as per targets.
      With the financial assistance from the world bank in this project, on 24rth January, 2011 it started in Punjab State by Punjab Roads and Bridges Development Board with the survey, which will complete in next six months and will cover 406.25 miles roads of Punjab, but during first phase radius of 62.5 miles of surrounding Chandigarh area will be covered and it has approximately one dozen areas which have high numbers of accident prone areas, below are names in alphabetic orders –

• Landra
• Chunni
• Sirhand
• Kharar
• Banur
• Tepla
• Patilala

Under joint venture of Punjab Traffic Police and Transport department, and team of ten scientists of Central Roads Research Institute( C.R.R.I.) has started the work on the dark spot of Punjab state where maximum numbers of accidents takes place, after the deep study of reasons and type, state government will prepared final road safety study. After completion of 62.5 miles of Chandigarh team will move other areas of state like –

• Amritsar
• Ludhiana
• Jalandhar
• Bhathinda

Under the project survey team will make videos of these spots and police personals response, police personals problems, vehicle problems will be mapped and digitize. As per the words of Mr. R.P Singh Additional Deputy General of Police (Traffic and Railways) it will take time of one year to cover the whole state under this project, then based on the road safety study will adopt which will help to reduce the number of accidents happen in state, more over previous initiatives taken towards road safety awareness has provided us positive results and also campaign against wrong parking, rash driving and drunken driving dip the graph of death due to accidents in the state.
    Once dark spot mapping project completed then it will help experts to erect road safety strategy to reduce the number of accidents and save valuable lives.