Medians on NH will be barricaded to prevent accidents: City police

Mangaluru: City police commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy CH said medians along the national highway will be barricaded to ensure pedestrians cross roads only at designated zebra crossings. He was speaking at the National Road Safety Month programme organised by Mangaluru City police on Tuesday.Last year, the city recorded 1,014 road accidents, claiming 171 lives and leaving 1,213 people injured. Pedestrians accounted for 67 deaths (39%) and 249 injured cases (21%), while two-wheeler accidents resulted in 82 deaths (48%) and 627 injured cases (52%).The police commissioner said that to prevent unsafe crossings through medians, barricading work is in progress. He also raised concerns regarding underage riding. He said that police personnel were instructed to invoke sections related to culpable homicide in fatal cases due to drunk driving. The accused will be booked under Section 105 of the BNS, which carries a punishment of up to 10-year imprisonment. He also noted that attempts are being made to communalise accident cases, which will not be tolerated. Last year, over 600 drunk driving cases were registered. Dr Arjun Shetty, Prof and head of neurosurgery, KMC Hospital, said road accident injuries not only cause physical trauma but also financially devastate families. Calling for zero tolerance towards drunken driving, he said occasional alcohol consumption cannot be used as an excuse. He also advocated stricter norms for driving licence renewal for persons aged 60–65 and above.Director and actor Devadas Kapikad appealed to the public to cooperate with police by adhering to traffic regulations. District Legal Services Authority Member Secretary Zaibunnisa said the country records an average of 4.5 lakh road accidents annually, leading to around 1.6 lakh deaths, with driver negligence being the primary cause.DCP (crime and traffic) Ravi Shankar K said Karnataka recorded 43,130 accidents in 2025, resulting in 10,625 deaths. The city reports an average of 1,020 accident cases annually over the past three years. He said 16 accident-prone black spots were identified and corrective measures are underway. A total of 169 AI-enabled cameras were installed at 28 locations across the city and its outskirts to monitor traffic violations and take legal action against offenders. Proposals to improve major junctions were submitted to the Mangaluru City Corporation. Last year, police booked 2.43 lakh traffic violation cases and collected fines amounting to Rs 9.5 crore.