In a bid to reduce accidents of Roadways buses, the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation has issued directives to all nodal officers to conduct regular reviews.
The UPSRTC managing director has issued a letter to all nodal officers outlining the primary causes of accidents and suggesting corresponding preventive measures. Additionally, instructions have been issued for regular counseling sessions for drivers.
Notably, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the UPSRTC to take appropriate steps to reduce accidents in the state. A comparative review of accidents from April 2023 to March 2024 conducted by the UPSRTC revealed an increase in the number of fatal accidents and deaths during this period. This highlights the need for regional and depot-level officers to make serious efforts to follow the headquarters’ guidelines to prevent accidents.
UPSRTC MD Masoom Ali Sarwar stated that most accidents occur due to overspeeding, not maintaining proper distance, and reckless overtaking. These three human factors are within the drivers’ control. Thus, during counseling sessions, drivers should be specifically educated about these three factors to mitigate accidents.
Furthermore, Sarwar has instructed all nodal officers to thoroughly review all accidents that occurred in their respective areas during the previous month. They should find out the cause of the accidents and what actions were taken against the faults of the driver and crew.
The nodal officers have been asked to also check if effective actions, health card-based health and eye tests, and counseling are being carried out at the depot and regional levels to prevent accidents.
Upon returning to headquarters, nodal officers should present their inspection notes along with a review of the previous month’s accidents to the chief manager (operations).
The letter further states that most accidents of the UPSRTC buses are caused by human factors. These include overspeeding, driving faster than the prescribed speed limit, not maintaining a proper distance from the vehicle in front, and driving under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicants. Other factors include using a mobile phone or listening to music with earphones while driving, ignoring road signs, violating traffic lights, driving in the wrong lane, wrong-side driving, and improper overtaking at the wrong time.
Additionally, not using parking lights in dense fog, not having reflective tape on the vehicle, joining main roads/highways at high speed from side roads without checking both directions, hurriedly crossing unmanned railway crossings, driving without adequate sleep or while extremely fatigued, neglecting the fitness of tyres, brakes, clutches, and other essential equipment, and driving with an abnormal mental state or mental illness are also included.
