SHYAM ZAMBAULIKER | NT
MARGAO
South Goa police booked 25,975 cases of violation of Motor Vehicles Act in the year gone by. Offences include over-speeding, drunk driving, distracting drivers, avoiding safety gears like seat belts and helmets and non-adherence to lane driving and overtaking in a wrong way.
The highest number of 3,032 cases was booked by the Quepem police, followed by 2,951 by the Canacona police while Collem police booked 2,652 cases. Besides these cases, the Margao police booked 1,943 cases, Maina-Curtorim 849, Colva 1849, and Cuncolim 2472 cases. 1,960 cases were booked by the Curchorem police, 1,261 cases by the Sanguem police, while the Vasco police booked 1,836 cases, 1,401 cases were booked by the Verna police, 698 cases by the Mormugao police, 188 by the airport police, and 2,883 cases were booked by Ponda police.
23,841 cases were booked by the South Goa police stations during the first 10 months of the year 2016 under the Motor Vehicle’s Act.
A senior police officer from Margao said that even as the road users are quite well aware of the general rules and safety measures, it is the laxity on the motorists’ part, which causes accidents.
The main cause of accidents is human error, he said.
According to information available, of 23,841 cases booked during the first 10 months of year 2016, Quepem police booked highest number of 2,888 cases while 2,759 cases were booked by the Canacona police and 2,406 cases by the Collem police station.
Besides these, 2,200 cases were booked by the Cuncolim police, 1,772 by the Colva police, 1,862 by the Margao police, 801 by the Maina-Curtorim, 1,835 by the Curchorem police, 1,759 by the Vasco police, 1,334 by the Verna police, 658 by the Mormugao police, 164 by the airport police, 2,204 by the Ponda police, and 1,199 by the Sanguem police.
A sub-inspector from South Goa, who booked the highest number of cases, said that the cases were booked for over-speeding, rash driving, failure to follow signs and others. He said that in some cases pedestrians who were crossing the road were knocked down, and so cases were booked. He said that over-speeding is the main cause for accidents.
“When two vehicles are sharing the road, one has to be careful and avoid over-speeding,” he added.
The vehicles being driven at a high speed are more prone to accidents than those being driven at a slow speed, and the severity of an accident is more, higher the speed, he said.
Driving in inebriated state leads to accidents and many a times it proves fatal, he pointed out.
“The major distraction, nowadays, which causes accidents is talking on mobile phone while driving or riding, and yet another cause of accident is avoiding wearing of safety gears like seatbelts and helmets,” he said.
Most of the people who get head injury is due to non-use of helmet, he said. He said that wearing of seatbelts in a four-wheeler is mandatory, and avoiding it, in cases of major accidents, leads to severe injuries.
“This is also same in the case of avoiding the use of a helmet while riding a two wheeler,” he said. Studies have proved that wearing of seatbelts and helmets reduce injury in case of accident, he added. A police officer from Salcete said that traffic cell is imparting education to drivers and riders on road safety.