Uttara Kannada: 195 killed, 1541 injured in 882 accidents in 9 months
SP Vinayak Patil appeals people to self-regulate helmet laws
Karwar: The Uttara Kannada District between May-2018 and January-2019 witnessed 195 deaths in road accidents. The number of injuries during the period is at whopping 1541 people sustaining injuries in about 882 accidents reported in the district.
In the statistics provided by Uttara Kannada Police, during May 2018 to January 2019, 882 road accidents have been reported in the District. This includes 163 fatal accidents reported in nine months.
The 163 fatal accidents have reportedly killed 195 people in the district. The number of injuries is at alarming high with over 1541 people sustaining injuries in all 882 accidents reported in the period of nine months.
Among the 1541 injuries 442 were reported to be grievous injuries while other 1099 injuries have been defined as ‘Minor injuries’.
Despite these numbers the traffic regulations in parts of District have remained unattended and are not paid heed to. At some places in the District including Bhatkal, where the number of vehicles on road is on constant growth over the years, and traffic congestion is one of the major issue for the administration, the police department has failed to regulate compulsory helmet laws for two-wheelers. At few places attempts by the department to regulate have been foiled by the locals by not showing any interest in such regulations even if it mean paying fines regularly.
Demands of Traffic signals by local residents at few places have gone unheard by the administration and the government authorities over the years.
Speaking to Vartha Bharati Uttara Kannada Distrct SP Vinayak Patil said the department is committed towards bringing these numbers down and is taking measures to prevent the road mishaps.
He said “The department is committed to cap the numbers of road accidents in the district. We regularly follow up on accident spots and inspect if there was any way to prevent that particular accident. If we think something could have been done and accidents could have been prevented we immediately take required measures to ensure road safety”.
He further added that highway patrolling vehicles have also been added to the fleet of vehicles of the department in the District.
Speaking of helmet regulations in places like Bhatkal, where several attempts have been made to implement the compulsory helmet law but it didn’t run along for more than two months, the SP said “The department has made efforts of implementing helmet laws but due to other law and order commitments the constant follow-up is not possible”.
He stressed that the helmets are for the safety of riders and self regulation is more important than police enforcing it. “Helmets are for the safety of riders, so they should self regulate it. Fine collection is not why we want to implement those laws, it is for their own safety. So we appeal people to come together with us to make our roads safer by ensuring that we follow every traffic rule”.
Here's the month-wise break down of the statistics:
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
CNN host evacuates on live television in Abu Dhabi amid Israel-Iran fire exchange
A live broadcast by CNN from Abu Dhabi was briefly interrupted after emergency alarm systems were activated inside the network’s office here, as tensions escalated sharply in the Middle East after US and Israel struck Iran.
Senior anchor and CNN Abu Dhabi Managing Editor Becky Anderson was on air when the alarms sounded.
Anderson informed viewers that she and her team had been instructed to seek immediate shelter in line with local emergency protocols.
“I’m Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi with the alarms going off here suggesting we should seek immediate shelter. So we’ll do that. Our breaking news coverage continues after this short break. Stay with us,” she said before the broadcast cut.
CNN host in Abu Dhabi EVACUATES ON LIVE TELEVISION as Israel and Iran exchange fire across Middle East
— RT (@RT_com) February 28, 2026
'We'll be back after this short break' pic.twitter.com/YY5GDILBVQ
The network operates a major, state-of-the-art broadcasting and production centre in Abu Dhabi, alongside its hubs in Atlanta, London and Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, similar emergency alerts disrupted a live broadcast on Al Jazeera in Doha. National emergency warnings were heard on air, advising residents to take shelter.
During the broadcast, a presenter said the alert system had been activated following reports of an Iranian missile targeting U.S. interests in Qatar.
“This is the alarm, by the way, that we all get on our phones here in Doha when there is an urgency. And so the national emergency alert system has gone off here in Qatar. The defense ministry in Qatar announcing just a short while ago that an Iranian missile has been intercepted here in Qatar, warning citizens basically to take shelter. Apologies, there's a bit of chaos in the newsroom, as you can imagine, because this is also happening here in Qatar, our emergency systems going off here,” the presenter said.
National emergency alerts blared during a live Al Jazeera broadcast just moments before explosions were heard in Qatar’s capital, Doha. The alert came as Iranian missiles targeting US interests the country were successfully intercepted. pic.twitter.com/eT6RD8fAZT
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) February 28, 2026
The development came after Iran on Saturday attacked the UAE's Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Qatar's Doha, and Saudi Arabia's Riyadh hours after Israel and the US conducted joint strikes on Iran.
