Team Herald
PANJIM: Compliance of traffic rules on Goan roads has increased to 75-77 percent after tightening the implementation of the rules by enforcement agencies across the State.
Speaking to Herald, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Dharmesh Angle said that even the accident rate has dropped in the last 45 days as compared to the previous year. “I have seen, and my team has observed, that most riders wear a helmet and drivers use the seat belt. Some 25 percent may not do it,” he said.
“But it has been noticed that people wear the helmet to save the challan and not for safety. The concept of safety should be engraved in the minds of people,” Angle said.
He said that in 2016, till May 17 the total accidents were 1650 whereas this year till date it had dropped to 1524 accidents.
“The trend was about to cross the previous year accidents figures, following fatalities, but implementation of traffic rules in the last two months, which has been followed rigorously by traffic police and transport officials, has brought down the rising rate of accidents,” Angle said.
However, this year, fatal accidents have increased as compared to last year. It was 112 in 2016 till May 17 while this year till date it is 118. “But overall accidents have come down,” he said.
