Rajiv Kalkod
BENGALURU: Karnataka witnessed 51 deaths in different road accidents within a span of 24 hours, from Saturday morning to Sunday, marking the state’s highest single-day toll reported in the recent past.
Alok Kumar, ADGP and commissioner for road safety, Bengaluru, said most deaths were due to reckless driving. Tumakuru district topped the chart with seven deaths, followed by Hassan (6), Bengaluru city and Bengaluru rural (4 each), and Karwar (3), according to police records.
On a usual day, the number of road fatalities in the state is between 30 and 35, said another senior police official.
Kumar raised concerns about pedestrian safety after deaths of eight pedestrians were reported from Tumakuru and Bengaluru rural.
“The pedestrian deaths were reported at night when they were crossing state or national highways. The drivers may have seen those people crossing at close quarters and failed to control the vehicles,” he said.
On Sunday, six of a family, including a six-year-old boy, were killed on the spot when their car collided with a truck in Hassan district. The family was returning from Karwar, where they had gone to visit a relative in hospital. The car driver had dozed off, which led to the crash.
Of the 51 deceased, 30 were two-wheelers riders.
Alok Kumar, ADGP and commissioner for road safety, Bengaluru, said most deaths were due to reckless driving. Tumakuru district topped the chart with seven deaths, followed by Hassan (6), Bengaluru city and Bengaluru rural (4 each), and Karwar (3), according to police records.
On a usual day, the number of road fatalities in the state is between 30 and 35, said another senior police official.
Kumar raised concerns about pedestrian safety after deaths of eight pedestrians were reported from Tumakuru and Bengaluru rural.
“The pedestrian deaths were reported at night when they were crossing state or national highways. The drivers may have seen those people crossing at close quarters and failed to control the vehicles,” he said.
On Sunday, six of a family, including a six-year-old boy, were killed on the spot when their car collided with a truck in Hassan district. The family was returning from Karwar, where they had gone to visit a relative in hospital. The car driver had dozed off, which led to the crash.
Of the 51 deceased, 30 were two-wheelers riders.