Hyderabad, July 14 (IANS) Alarmed over the rising number of road accidents before sunrise due to “sleepy drivers”, Andhra Pradesh is planning to ban movement of buses and other heavy vehicles between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m.
The transport authority plans to issue orders to keep these vehicles off the highways in the early hours to bring down the number of accidents,

Transport Minister S. Vijayarama Raju said.

In another move, the authorities have made it compulsory for private bus operators to provide two drivers for each bus for the night hours.

“If any bus is found plying without a spare driver, we will seize it immediately,” the minister said. Raju said a second driver was mandatory in order to relieve the driver if he feels fatigued.

The move was announced after the driver of a private bus rammed his vehicle into a stationary truck at Allagadda in Kurnool district Sunday, killing 13 people.

Preliminary investigations revealed the driver had dozed off.

The minister also said that installation of speed governors would be made compulsory for all buses and heavy vehicles to limit the speed at 65 kmph.

Andhra Pradesh accounts for one of the highest number of road accidents in the country. Last year, over 12,000 people were killed in accidents.