Every hour, 40 people under the age of 25 die in road accidents around the globe. According to the WHO, this is the second most important cause of death for 5 to 29 year olds. In India alone, the death toll rose to 14 per hour in 2009 as opposed to 13 the previous year. The total number of deaths every year due to road accidents has now passed the 135,000 mark, according ot the latest report of National Crime Records Bureau or NCRB.
While trucks and two-wheelers were responsible for over 40 per cent of deaths, peak traffic during the afternoon and evening rush hours is the most dangerous time to be on the roads. This has been revealed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its first ever Global Status Report on Road Safety. The report pointed to speeding, drunk driving and low use of helmets, seat belts and child restraints in vehicles as the main contributing factors.
Road safety is a major concern in India, as there are many accidents that occur on Indian roads. According to the Transport Research Wing, the number of road accidents year on year are:
In 2009, the total number of accidents were 4,86,384 and the number of persons killed were 1,25,660, whereas, in 2008, the number of accidents that occurred were 4,84,704 and the number of persons killed were 1,19,860, and in 2007, the total number of accidents were 4,79,216 and 1,14,444 were killed on the road. On an average, 1,05,000 individual deaths occurred on Indian roads every year. And According to the WHO, India and China are listed among the most number of accidents.
There is a sharp increase in road accidents in India, as there is an increase in the number of vehicles. According to the Transport Research Wing, the number of accidents that occurred in India alone in 2009 are 4,86,384 and the persons killed in road accidents are 1,25,660. This is a major concern. Because, on an average, the number of persons killed on road per day are 344 and 14 per hour. And 1332 road accidents occurred, with 56 accidents per day.
The main cause of the road accidents is fault of the driver with 78.5 percentage and fault of the pedestrian is 2.2 percent, fault of the cyclist with 1.2 percent, defect of the road with 1.3 percent, defect of motor cycle 1.8, whether condition 0.8 percent, all other causes with 14.2 percent. In 2009, around 4,90,000 road accidents occurred, where 5,00,000 persons were injured. So, road accidents are a major concern, as there are many deaths and loss of property as well as suffering of family members. As, on the whole, there is a loss of GNP to the nation.
Over 90% of road traffic deaths and injuries occur in low-income and middle-income courtries, which have only 48% of the world’s registered vehicles. More disturbingly, a large number of deaths from road accidents are borne by “vulnerable road users” such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. Around 13% of the victims from road-related deaths are pedestrians in India as compared to 15% of accidents from passenger cars and taxis and 27% of riders of motorised two-or-three wheelers.
India suffers from the highest number of deaths – around 1,05,000 in absolute terms annually-due to road accidents in the world, owing to poor infrastructure and dangerous driving habits. Poor road infrastructure, failure to comply with speed limits, growing drinking and driving habits, and refusal to use proper motorcycle helmets and the use of child car seats are among the main factors contributing to deaths from road crashes, WHO said in its report on ‘Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2010’. Trends in road accident scenario-India & China (2004-2008):
The road traffic crashes, which result in the grief and suffering, contribute to economic losses to victims, their families, and nations as a whole, to the tune of 1-3 percent of their respective gross national product. As per WHO’s Director General, Road traffic crashes are a growing health and development concern affecting all nations. It is important to have an action plan for an intensified response.
The global plan sets out a detailed programme of action that would call for improving the safety of roads and vehicles, enhancing emergency services and building up road safety management. More importantly, the plan calls on nations to enforce laws for using helmets, seat belts and child restraints. It emphasizes on strict and stern action against the drinking driving and those violating speed limits. As India sees a sharp rise in sale of personal vehicles, it is witness to another unfortunate rise, in number of deaths in road mishaps.