Hyderabad, Oct 10 (IANS): Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar has appealed to people to take a pledge on Dussehra to follow traffic rules.

Voicing concern over the increasing number of road accidents, the minister appealed to people through a video message on Thursday.

Extending wishes to people on Bathukamma and Dussehra, he urged them to take a pledge to obey traffic rules.

He told people that accidents don't give warning before they occur.

"When they occur, we will not be around to say anything. My mother advises me to take precautions when I go out," the minister said.

"Dussehra symbolises the victory of good over evil. This Dussehra, when we perform Ayudha pooja with family members, we should pledge to follow traffic rules, wear helmets and seat belts," he said.

The Transport Minister stated that 1,60,000 people die in road accidents in India every year. "An average of 20 people lose their lives in road accidents in Telangana every day. It's our responsibility to take precautions for our safety," he said.

The minister, who was seated in the driver's seat in a car, appealed to people not to drive vehicles when drunk and said drunken driving was causing many road accidents.

Road traffic accident data shows 8,184 persons died on roads in Telangana during 2022. The state recorded a total of 22,235 accidents. Overspeed accounted for 85 per cent of the accidents.

The Transport Department has been organising road safety programmes involving police officials, schoolchildren, youth, and media.

There has been an alarming jump in road accidents in the limits of Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda Commissionerates which cover Greater Hyderabad and surrounding areas.

Cyberabad Commissionerate alone recorded a 21 per cent jump in road accidents this year till July compared to 2023.

While 1,947 accidents occurred in the limits of Cyberabad in 2023, the number of accidents till July 2024 was 2,365.