One killed, 9 injured in J&K road accident

by IANS |

Jammu, April 14 (IANS) One person was killed and 9 others were injured on Monday in a road accident near Banihal town in Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K) Ramban district.

Officials said that the accident occurred at around 4 am on Monday when a Tata Mobile vehicle carrying 11 members of two Bakarwal families from Tehsil Teryath in Rajouri district was on its way to Srinagar.

“As the vehicle reached the railway bridge in Banihal, it overturned and struck the bridge wall.

“One person died on the spot while nine others were injured. The injured were shifted to Sub-District Hospital in Banihal town and later shifted to Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital in Anantnag for further treatment.

“Police have taken note of the incident”, officials said.

Traffic department officials attribute overloading, overspeeding, road rage, rash and negligent driving as the main causes of accidents on roads and highways.

Driving of vehicles by minors have caused many deaths in Kashmir and in order to curb the menace, the regional transport office has published punishments for such offences including imprisonment of parents allowing minor children to drive and cancellation of registration certificates of vehicles found to be driven by minors.

Among two-wheeler drivers, the lack of use of crash helmets by both the driver and the pillion rider often results in fatalities.

Authorities have directed fuel filling stations not to sell fuel to motorcycle/two-wheeler drivers, who report without wearing a helmet.

As a goodwill gesture, traffic department authorities also distribute helmets among motorcycle drivers to encourage safe driving.

Traffic department officials seized over 4,000 vehicles of different kinds during the last five months and this stringent action has resulted in general obedience of traffic rules among drivers.

The hilly roads of Doda, Kishtwar, Rajouri, Poonch and Ramban districts of Jammu division are notorious for fatal road accidents.

Special squads of traffic department officials have been deployed in these districts to ensure that vehicles are not overloaded and driver don’t overspeed.