17 killed every hour in road mishaps in 2016

ROAD ACCIDENTS KILLED 1,50,785 PEOPLE

ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN 2016 — A 3.3% JUMP FROM 2015 WHEN 1,46,000 FATALITIES WERE REPORTED

India witnessed 17 deaths and 55 road accidents every hour in 2016, one of the highest in the world, according to the latest report released by the Union road transport and highways ministry.

The report compiled by the ministry’s transport research wing said accidents killed 1,50,785 people across India in 2016 — a 3.3% jump from 2015 when 146,000 lakh road fatalities were reported — indicating Indian roads continue to be one of the deadliest in the world. The number of accidents, however, declined from 501,000 lakh in 2015 to 480,652 lakh in 2016. “This reflects an alarming trend that while the number of accidents has gone down, their severity has increased resulting in many more deaths. One of the main reasons for the high number of fatalities is speeding by drivers,” said a senior road ministry official.

According to a World Bank estimate, road accidents cost India about 3% of its gross domestic product every year. Almost half or 46.3% of the road fatalities victim in 2016 were in the agegroup of 18-35 years. The maximum number of road accidents — 1.9 lakh — occurred on two-lane roads. “Our target is to reduce the fatalities by 50% in next two years. The Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill pending in Parliament, if cleared in the next session, will prove to be a milestone in addressing it,” road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said after releasing the report.

Road sector experts say one of the primary reasons behind such a high number of road accidents in India is the fact that the increase in road length has failed to keep pace with the number of registered motor vehicles.

While vehicle registration has gone up by 10% during 2005-2015, road length during the same period increased only 3.75%. This has resulted in congestion on roads leading to a spike in accidents, experts said.

The report shows drivers’ fault was the single most important factor responsible for road

accidents (84 per cent), killings (80.3 per cent) and injuries (83.9 per cent). Within this category, overspeeding accounted for the highest share of 66% accidents and 61% deaths. At 33.8% twowheelers accounted for the highest share in the total number of road accidents followed by cars, jeeps, and taxis at 23.6%. Of the 52,500 two-wheeler riders killed in road accidents, 19.3% were not wearing helmets at the time of the accident.