Bhubaneswar, Feb 9: Accident deaths declined by 11.15% in Odisha in 2020 while the total number of accidents also decreased by 11.27 %.

As per official statistics 4738 people were killed in 9817 accidents in the state in 2020 while the number of fatalities in 2019 stood at 5333 in as many as 11,064 accidents in 2019. Similarly 8818 persons were injured in road mishaps in 2020.

The statistics, however, emerged as a concern as lockdown was imposed across the state for several months in 2020. “Despite introduction of amended MV Act and lockdown, the death and accident figures are really worrisome. Enforcement agencies must intensify their drive against traffic violations to further reduce the number of accidents,” said an expert.