Hyderabad’s Transport Minister, Ponnam Prabhakar, convened a crucial meeting on Friday to address road safety initiatives in accordance with directives from the Supreme Court committee on road safety. The meeting brought together officials from various sectors, including transport, police, health, roads and buildings, the NHAI, GHMC, and HMDA.The discussion highlighted the alarming statistics of road accidents in the state, with 7,186 fatal accidents reported, and 2,476 individuals suffering grievous injuries. Additionally, 10,404 minor injuries and 2,747 normal injuries were recorded.Key decisions from the meeting included the identification and rectification of accident-prone black spots using data from ambulance and police reports. The efficiency of ambulance services and the availability of critical care facilities on major accident-prone routes were also reviewed.To enhance road safety, the meeting agreed to implement strict legal measures, including the suspension of driving licenses for serious offenses such as drunken driving and wrong-side driving. Additionally, traffic education will be expanded to include programs for intermediate students.The meeting underscored the necessity of increasing pedestrian walkways on national highways to ensure pedestrian safety. It was also decided that district road safety committees would convene regularly, with the transport commissioner designated as the lead agency for overseeing these efforts.