Min: Over 3,700 died in nearly 6,000 accidents between June ’24 & Jan ’25 | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: In a concerning revelation, the state witnessed 6,317 road accidents in eight months between June 2024 and January 2025, resulting in 3,717 fatalities and 3,401 severe injuries, revealed commerce and transport minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena in the state assembly recently.
The minister’s detailed breakdown of accident causes showed that high-speed driving accounted for 918 incidents, while rash driving led to 1,052 accidents. Drunk driving was responsible for 46 cases, with various other factors contributing to the remaining 4,677 accidents.
Responding to BJD legislator Arun Kumar Sahoo’s query, Jena outlined the govt’s multi-pronged approach to address this pressing issue. “For fatal accidents, joint inspections are conducted by police, transport, and works departments,” Jena said.
He stated that cases involving three or more casualties undergo additional crash investigation by district-level teams. “To enforce traffic regulations, the state govt has deployed 37 interceptors and 38 highway patrolling vehicles,” he said.
Jena said awareness drives are conducted four to five times every month in each district. The authorities have also implemented an intelligent enforcement management system on accident-prone roads and are actively identifying and rectifying black spots.
The minister highlighted several initiatives to enhance road safety and accident response. He said a Solatium Fund was established to provide compensation to the victims of hit-and-run cases, complemented by a Good Samaritan Policy.
Jena said the state also implemented an automated driving testing system to improve licensing standards. “Road safety infrastructure received attention with safety audits conducted on 800 km of roads for proper signage and markings,” he said.
The minister further stated that the govt is also focusing on capacity building by providing first-aid training to first responders and free driving training to youth under the Subahaka programme across different driving training centres.
“Enforcement measures include license suspension for those violating the Motor Vehicles Act. These comprehensive steps demonstrate the govt’s commitment to reducing road accidents and fatalities in the state,” the minister stated.
The minister’s detailed breakdown of accident causes showed that high-speed driving accounted for 918 incidents, while rash driving led to 1,052 accidents. Drunk driving was responsible for 46 cases, with various other factors contributing to the remaining 4,677 accidents.
Responding to BJD legislator Arun Kumar Sahoo’s query, Jena outlined the govt’s multi-pronged approach to address this pressing issue. “For fatal accidents, joint inspections are conducted by police, transport, and works departments,” Jena said.
He stated that cases involving three or more casualties undergo additional crash investigation by district-level teams. “To enforce traffic regulations, the state govt has deployed 37 interceptors and 38 highway patrolling vehicles,” he said.
Jena said awareness drives are conducted four to five times every month in each district. The authorities have also implemented an intelligent enforcement management system on accident-prone roads and are actively identifying and rectifying black spots.
The minister highlighted several initiatives to enhance road safety and accident response. He said a Solatium Fund was established to provide compensation to the victims of hit-and-run cases, complemented by a Good Samaritan Policy.
Jena said the state also implemented an automated driving testing system to improve licensing standards. “Road safety infrastructure received attention with safety audits conducted on 800 km of roads for proper signage and markings,” he said.
The minister further stated that the govt is also focusing on capacity building by providing first-aid training to first responders and free driving training to youth under the Subahaka programme across different driving training centres.
“Enforcement measures include license suspension for those violating the Motor Vehicles Act. These comprehensive steps demonstrate the govt’s commitment to reducing road accidents and fatalities in the state,” the minister stated.
