Jaipur, Nov. 4 -- 80 people have died due to road accidents across the state in the last 82 days, according to police and corroborated by a tally record by HT, heightening concerns about deteriorating road safety in the state. As per the latest NCRB report which was published earlier this year, Rajasthan ranked seventh in the country with 24,694 road accident cases in 2023. The state also had the fifth highest number of casualties, with a figure of 4,172. According to a senior traffic police officer, it was estimated the number of road accidents this year had already crossed 25,000."While the lack of awareness among the people about road safety and traffic rules lead to such cases, the poor condition of the roads, lack of monitoring on the condition of the vehicles, and also slow progress on the blackspots are major causes that the government need to focus on," the officer added. As per data tabled by the NHAI in the Parliament on March 13 this year, the authority identified a total of 954 black spots on the national highways in Rajasthan. However, safety enhancement measures have been completed in only 238 of them, as per NHAI. The transport department identified an additional 118 black spots on the state highways and 48 on other major roads of the state, officials said. "Both the transport department and the NHAi are working to develop these black spots as fast as possible. The government is also taking necessary action against those whose negligent driving causes such accidents. Traffic rules are also being implemented strictly," said a transport department officer. In July 2024, the transport department issued guidelines mandating weekly off-days and mandatory breathalyzer test for state transport drivers, said officials familiar with the matter. In a circular issued by then RSRTC Secretary Shreya Guha, the government directed department officials to ensure that all the drivers of the RSRTC, including contractual drivers, and drivers of buses taken on contract were entitled to regular weekly offs as per the labour law norms to provide them with a stress-free environment and also decrease possibility of road accidents. "A regular medical check-up and eye check-up should also be conducted at least twice a year for drivers above 50-year age," the RSRTC stated in the circular. The RSRTC also asked the officials to ensure that all the vehicles have an emergency window and fog lamps to prevent any unwelcoming situation....