Less traffic on the highways has led to a surge in reckless driving, leading to fatal mishaps.

A 26-year-old man, who was injured in a road mishap at Chowka on NH-33 under Chowka police station area in Seraikela-Kharsawan on May 12, died at Tata Main Hospital on Saturday.

Amit Kumar, a resident of Ichagarh in Seraikela-Kharsawan, was headed to a relative’s house in Gamharia on his bike when a speeding car coming from the opposite direction hit him near Chowka square and fled on May 12.

Amit, who fell from his bike and lost consciousness, was spotted by a patrolling party that rushed him to Tata Main Hospital.

The young man had sustained grievous head injury besides multiple injuries on his left leg.

Assistant sub-inspector of Chowka police station Ajit Kumar Singh said both Amit’s bike and the car were speeding on that fateful day.

“As the roads remain nearly deserted because of the lockdown, drivers tend to drive at a break-neck speed and lose control over the vehicles. This is what happened with Amit,” Singh told The Telegraph.

On May 15, a 25-year-old man was grievously injured when his bike skidded off the road Tata-Chaibasa Road under Rajnagar police station area.

Despite wearing a helmet, Sumit Gope had sustained serious injuries on his head.

He was rescued by the police and rushed to MGM Medical College Hospital and is still under treatment.

Bikers skidding off their two-wheelers is a regular affair on Tata-Chaibasa road in Rajnagar.

“Though there has been no fatal mishap on the stretch, over a dozen accidents have taken place after speeding bikes skidded off the road,” Jitendra Kumar Singh, officer-in-charge of Rajnagar police station, said.