Chhattisgarh saw a 17.75 per cent decline in road accidents and a 9.13 per cent drop in accident deaths in 2020, police said on Wednesday.
The number of accidents and deaths came down last year largely due to the restrictions imposed on vehicular movement during the Covid-induced lockdown and traffic management by police, a press statement stated.
"As many as 4,546 people lost their lives and 10,478 suffered injuries in 11,431 road accidents in 2020," the data released by the police said.
According to the data, compared to 2019, the State witnessed a decline of 17.75 per cent in accidents, 9.13 per cent in accident deaths and 19.95 per cent in injuries.
However, the State saw a rise in accident deaths in February, August, September, October, November and December in 2020, compared to 2019 during these months.
"The statistics suggest that road accidents increased after the Covud-19 lockdown was lifted," said R.K. Vij, Special Director General of Police (Planning and Provisioning/Technical Services).
Fewer accidents were reported between March and July during the lockdown, he said, adding that the police traffic management also helped.
Modifications were carried out at several accident-prone spots and stretches in districts such as Bilaspur and Korba, he said.
Last year, Raipur, Gariaband, Dhamtari, Bemetara, Mungeli, Dantewada, Sukma, Bijapur and Narayanpur districts witnessed a rise in accident deaths.
The fatalities fell in Balodabazaar, Mahasamund, Durg, Balod, Rajnandgaon, Kabirdham, Bilaspur, Korba, Janjgir-Champa, Raigarh, Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi, Surguja, Korea, Balrampur, Surajpur, Jashpur, Kanker and Kondagaon.