Hyderabad: Telangana has emerged as one of the states with the highest number of accident-prone black spots on National Highways (NHs), underscoring the scale of road safety challenges on its rapidly expanding highway network.According to data tabled in the Lok Sabha by the ministry of road transport and highways, 1,535 black spots have been identified on NHs passing through Telangana, the second highest in south India, after Tamil Nadu, and among the top five nationally.Of these, short-term rectification measures, such as signage, lane markings, rumble strips, and minor geometric corrections, have been completed at 1,259 locations, translating to 82.0% coverage. However, long-term engineering solutions like road realignment, junction redesign, grade separators and service roads have been completed at only 516 spots or 33.6% of the total identified black spots.Nationally, Uttar Pradesh with 2,210 black spots, Tamil Nadu (1,661), Telangana (1,535), Punjab (1,407) and West Bengal (1,339) account for a substantial share of identified accident-prone locations on NHs.While short-term rectification across most states exceeds 75–80%, long-term corrective measures generally remain below the halfway mark, indicating systemic delays linked to land acquisition, redesign approvals, funding constraints, and execution timelines.At 33.6% long-term completion, Telangana sits close to the national median, but trails states like Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and West Bengal, which have crossed or approached the 50% mark in permanent safety corrections.Why Black Spots PersistThe road transport ministry informed the Lok Sabha that black spots were identified through road safety audits conducted at multiple stages — design, construction, and operation — by independent third-party experts. These audits flag design flaws, inadequate signage, poor lighting, unsafe junction geometry and traffic management issues, which are then addressed in a time-bound manner.The Union govt has adopted a four-pronged road safety strategy — education, engineering, enforcement and emergency care — with road safety expenditure forming 2.21% to 15% of NH project costs, depending on structural requirements.Road safety advocate Lokendra Singh told TOI that the persistence of accident-prone black spots has serious human, economic, and systemic consequences, particularly in fast-growing states like Telangana. These locations account for a disproportionately high share of fatal and grievous accidents, leading to loss of lives, long-term disabilities, and mounting trauma for families. Repeated crashes at the same stretches disrupt traffic flow, cause frequent congestion on key freight and commuter corridors, and increase response time for emergency services. Economically, black spots translate into higher logistics costs, productivity losses, and rising healthcare expenditure, besides straining police and hospital infrastructure. For a state positioning itself as an investment and logistics hub, unsafe highway stretches also undermine road user confidence and negate gains from new expressways and corridor upgrades, making the elimination of black spots not just a safety imperative but a developmental necessity.For Telangana, the data presents a clear policy signal. While the state has demonstrated administrative efficiency in quick, short-term safety fixes, the relatively modest progress in long-term engineering solutions suggests the need for accelerated project clearances, stronger Centre-state coordination, and prioritisation of high-fatality corridors.As vehicle density, freight movement and expressway construction continue to rise across the state, the pace at which these black spots are permanently eliminated may well determine whether Telangana can bend the curve on highway fatalities in the coming years.Chandrayangutta: Keshavgiri Jn., Bandlaguda, Omer Hotel stretchNature of LocationsFlyover approaches and underpassesCheck posts and toll-influenced stretchesMarket-adjacent roads with pedestrian spilloverMixed-traffic urban junctions with heavy turning movements
