The motor vehicle (MV) accident case records of Jharsuguda show that a total of 601 people have lost their lives in six years from 2010 to 2015.
In 2016, as many as 28 casualties have been reported and 141 persons seriously injured in 84 accidents. Intake of liquor, rash driving, bad road conditions and driving by unskilled persons are the main causes for the rise in the road accidents.
In 2010, total 115 persons had been killed and 96 sustained injuries in 267 accidents while in 2011, 101 fatal accidents claimed 108 lives. In 2012, 111 persons sustained serious injuries in 75 serious accidents while in 2013, 112 had died in 98 deadly accidents. Besides, 77 casualties were reported in 2014 and 91 in 2015.
During 2016, from January to April, 97 accidents were reported claiming 28 lives in 28 deadly accidents. 40 received serious injuries in 53 fatal accidents while 76 got minor injuries in 32 small accidents.
Most of the accidents in the district are caused by two-wheelers. The rise in road accidents is attributed to the huge volume of vehicular traffic on the inter-State and State highways passing through Jharsuguda district.
Jharsuguda RTO DK Singh said rash overtaking, taking abrupt turns, over speeding and use of cell phones while driving followed by mechanical defects like break fail are the main factors for the accidents.