Hyderabad, July 14 - 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.