DIPR
Dimapur, April 2
Nagaland recorded 305 road accidents in 2014. 81 persons were killed and 230 were injured during the year. So far Dimapur recorded the highest number of accidents in the state and auto rickshaws bearing a bulk of the number of casualties.
Out of the 305 accidents, 91 were due to driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs. 51 cases were due to ‘over speeding’ while 36 cases were due to driving on the wrong lane of the road. Of these 305,110 were hit-and-run cases. 49 ceases were head-on collisions and 36 were caused by skidding etc. Auto Rickshaws had the highest number of casualties at 58, followed by 2 wheelers (56 casualties), and taxi with 43 casualties. Dimapur had the highest number of accidents at 263, followed by Kohima with 11, Wokha with 7, Mokokchung with 6, Tuensang at 5, Phek at 4, Zunheboto at 3, Peren at 2, Mon at 2, Longleng at 1, and Kiphire with one recorded accident.
With the number of road accidents on the rise in Nagaland, the police authorities have warned against driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs, over speeding or reckless driving, driving without protective gears (pillion riders), taking wrong turns, and overtaking along narrow roads among other cases of careless or negligent driving. It is to be reminded that obeying traffic rules is not just a duty and a responsibility but a way of showing respect to other citizens as well.
Obeying traffic rules is not just duty; it is respect for other citizens.
Important Traffic rules (general) Dimapur must remember!
REMEMBER: PEDESTRIANS FIRST ALWAYS
Drivers often forget that roads are not just for them alone. This can make things difficult on the road for pedestrians, cyclists, scooterists and motor cyclists who do not have solid protections around them. They are entitled to your care and consideration. Always keep a close watch on other road users. Children, for example, may do unexpected things. Elderly pedestrians may move more slowly than you expect or may not see or hear you until you are too close.
ALWAYS GIVE WAY TO PEDESTRIANS if there is danger to their safety. Take extra care if they are children or elderly people. There are some obvious places and times where you should take extra care like shopping centres, busy intersections, schools, parks and residential areas where children and others have a greater need of crossing the road. Also, in wet weather, people may hurry and take risks. At night remember that pedestrians may not always be aware how hard it can be for you to see them. Be careful when approaching parked cars or buses. It is difficult to see or anticipate people crossing from behind them. Slow down at pedestrian crossings or intersections, especially if you are turning.
You must give way to pedestrians on a pedestrian crossing. This means you must approach the crossing at a speed which will let you stop in time. Not all pedestrians look before they step onto a crossing. So watch out for anyone approaching and be ready to stop.
You must stop if a pedestrian is on a school crossing. This applies even if there is no crossing supervisor present. Stop at the stop line until all pedestrians are off the crossing.
YOU MUST GIVE WAY to pedestrians when you are entering or leaving private property such as a driveway. If you cannot see whether anyone is coming, sound your horn and then drive out very slowly.
CYCLISTS AND MOTORCYCLISTS have the same rights and responsibilities as drivers of larger vehicles. When overtaking cyclists, leave at least one metre clearance. Don’t try to share the lane with them. Cycle riders are entitled to ride two abreast. Also, when you are about to alight from your car, check for bicycle riders or scooterists to avoid opening your door in their path. Children on cycles can also be unpredictable. Take extra care of them.
Bicycles scooters and motorcycles are smaller than cars and therefore harder to see. A common cause of accidents is the failure of a right-turning driver to notice an oncoming motorcycle as motorcycle accelerate much faster than cars. What appears to be a safe gap in traffic may not be if there is an oncoming motorcycle or a scooter.
KEEP LEFT on a two-way road to allow traffic from the opposite direction to pass on your right and on a one-way road to allow vehicles behind you to overtake from your right.
WHEN TURNING LEFT, keep to the left side of the road you are leaving as well as the one you are entering. When turning right, move to the centre of the road you are leaving and arrive near the left side of road you are entering.
SLOW DOWN at road junctions, intersections, pedestrian crossings and road corners and wait until you are sure of a clear passage ahead. if you are entering a main road where traffic is not being regulated, give way to vehicles passing on your right.
HAND SIGNALS are necessary at certain times. When slowing down, extend your right arm palm down and swing it up and down; when stopping, raise your forearm vertically outside the vehicle; when turning right or changing lane to the right hand side, extend your right arm straight out, palm to the front; when turning left or changing lane to the left hand side, extend your right arm and rotate it in an anti-clockwise direction.
To allow the vehicle behind you to overtake, swing your right arm backward and forward in a semi circular motion.
DIRECTION INDICATORS Better use directions indicstors instead of hands signals and both in case of any emergency.
DO NOT DRIVE on a one way road except in the direction permitted. Reversing into a one way street in the wrong direction is also prohibited.
USE THE HORN only when essential and do not use it in a silence zone. Do not fit loud, multi-toned or harsh and shrill sounding horns or alarms in your vehicle. Vehicles with altered silencers are also prohibited on the road.
DO NOT BRAKE SUDDENLY except for safety reasons.
DRIVERS OF TRACTORS AND GOODS VEHICLES are prohibited from carrying passengers for hire or reward. In a tractor, the driver should not carry any other person and in a goods vehicle, he should not exceed the number of persons permitted in the driver’s cabin.
DO NOT DRIVE on the road if you are unwell or after taking medication that is likely to impair your driving abilities including tonics that may have alcohol content in them.
RIGHT OF WAY
At some crossroads there are no traffic lights or signs. When you come to one of these intersections you must give way to vehicles travelling in the intersection on your right as marked below:
Red car has to give way to other oncoming vehicles
You must also give way to the right at intersections where the lights have failed. If yours and an oncoming vehicle are turning right at an intersection both cars should pass in front of each other.
If the other drivers do not give way to you, do not commit the same mistake they are doing.
Give way to fire engines and ambulances by driving your vehicles to the side of the road.
Give way to pedestrians at crossings that are not regulated.
Give way to traffic already in the lane you are moving into.
