Walayar: The four-lane stretch of National Highway 544 between Walayar and Vadakkencherry in Palakkad district, has become a death trap for motorists. In the past eight months, there were 113 accidents which claimed 16 lives and critically injured 70. Forty per cent of the affected were bikers while 10 out of 16 who lost their lives were below the age of 25.
Most recently, on Friday, a bus overturned at the Puthussery-Kureekaad signal junction injuring 37 including women and schoolchildren. The bus, in its effort to avoid hitting an overtaking car, rammed the road divider, causing the accident. The stretch between Puthussery and Walayar alone saw 21 accident cases in the past 3 months, in which 7 died and 18 got injured.
Reports say that at least 4 accidents are recorded every 3 hours on the route. Similarly, the 15km stretch under construction between Mangalam Palam and Vaniyampara in Vadakkencherry saw 7 deaths in 6 months. Two pedestrians were killed while crossing the road at Mangalam and Vaniyampara due to lack of signboards.
Although speeding and rash driving are cited to be behind most accidents, the stretch itself has gained notoriety for its ill-maintained roads, lack of signboards, dearth of traffic signals at crucial junctions, and absence of proper lighting.
The National Highways Authority of India is reportedly not keen on installing street lights on non-residential stretches. Seven of the important junctions on the route is in complete darkness. Apart from residential stretches, overbridges are the only well-lit part on the route.
The lack of service roads have caused many accidents at places like Panniyankara and Panthalaampadam where motorists are caught unawares while entering the highway directly from pocket roads.
There are only 4 patrol units of the police to track accidents and carry out rescue work.
Statistics show that two-wheeler users are the major victims of accidents. Till September this year, 160 of the total 297 deaths were from bike accidents. P.V. Gujral, district police surgeon, says riding without helmets, over speeding, and drunk driving are the reasons for the spike in two-wheeler accidents.
