A country which has been on the path of modernization since last few years has to pay a price in the equal dividends as the number of road accidents has been quite a mind-numbing figure. According to a recent report by the International Road Foundation (IRF), India accounts for highest number of road deaths in the world. “At present India accounts for 10 percent of global road accidents with more than 1.46 lakh fatalities annually, highest in the world. As a signatory to Brasilia Declaration, India is committed to reducing the number of road accidents and fatalities by 50 percent by 2020,” said KK Kapila, Chairman, IRF.
Related articles
- 25% of 4.8 lakh road accidents happen during work-related commuting in India every year
- Roads to East: Apprehensions and Alternatives
- Karnataka, The Top Investment Destination!
But these commitment seems a utopian dream as the recent annual publication ‘Road Accidents in India- 2016’ released by Shri Nitin Gadkari has highlighted the rate of fatalities due to road accidents. Even after such a conviction, the fatalities have increased by 3.2% in 2016. During 2016, 13 States accounted for 86% of the total road accidents in the country. These are Tamil Nadu, MP, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, UP, AP, Rajasthan, Telangana, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Haryana. Similarly, 13 States accounted for 84% of the total persons killed in road accidents during 2016. These are UP, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, MP, AP, Gujarat, Telangana, West Bengal, Punjab, Haryana and Bihar. If we talk about the cities, then Chennai (7486) has the highest number of road accidents whereas Delhi (1591) tops the chart when it comes to the deaths due to road accidents.
Indeed! The report presented by Nitin Gadkari elaborates the various aspects and details of road accidents in India but the million-dollar question is how can it be made minimal if not completely stopped? At this juncture when the life of humans have been at the mercy of the customized transportation The Policy Times suggests some policy changes:-
- Issuing of driving license after proper background check
- Extreme strict measures against under-age driving
- Proper traffic signal maintenance
- Hiring of trained traffic police
- Severe penalty for defaulters
