Pedestrian negligence, reckless driving leading to accidents on Bengaluru’s Outer Ring Road 

ORR in Bengaluru is notorious for traffic congestion. 26 locations along this route have been identified as "accident black spots" due to the high number of accidents. Causes include tech park employees during peak hours, reckless driving at night, pedestrians crossing roads without using skywalks, and metro construction. Traffic police suggest measures like signboards, skywalks, CCTV cameras, etc. to reduce accidents.

Bengaluru’s Outer Ring Road (ORR), a prominent thoroughfare notorious for traffic congestion in the city, serves as the vital link connecting over 500 IT companies on the stretch. Recent findings by the traffic police have pinpointed no fewer than 26 locations along this route, referred to as “accident black spots”, where the highest number of accidents have been recorded.

The Hindu visited these black spots along the ORR to gather insights from people on the ground, including input from the traffic police, and find out the underlying causes of these accidents.

The traffic police have identified a critical junction in close proximity to the Prestige Tech Park, JP Morgan, along the Marathahalli - Sarjapur, ORR in Kadubeesanahalli. This location has emerged as a significant accident-prone area, registering a total of 38 accidents over the past three years, including both fatal and non-fatal incidents.

A traffic police officer stationed at this junction explained that the large number of tech park employees during peak hours contributes to heavy traffic. Conversely, during nighttime, when traffic is lighter, some drivers tend to drive recklessly, resulting in accidents. Tragically, many of these accidents involve pedestrians.

At another identified accident-prone area near Bagmane Tech Park along the Outer Ring Road (ORR) under the jurisdiction of Mahadevapura traffic police, a similar pattern has emerged. This location has been labelled as an accident black spot by the police due to the recurring accidents that often go unreported.

According to a traffic police officer responsible for managing traffic in this area, many of these accidents are relatively minor, involving disputes between vehicle owners after a small accident and thus, they often go unrecorded.

The officer said, “Pedestrians also contribute to the accident rate on this stretch. Despite the presence of skywalks intended for safe crossing, a significant number of pedestrians opt not to use them, choosing instead to cross the road directly, resulting in accidents.”