17 killed every hour in road accidents in 2016

DEADLY REPORT Delhi most unsafe city; overspeeding, talking on cellphone main factors

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 road accidents killed 1,50,785 people across the country in 2016 — a 3.3% jump from the previous year when 1,46,000 fatalities were reported — a sign Indian roads continue to be one of the deadliest in the world.

The number of road accidents, however, declined from 5,01,000 in 2015 to 4,80,652 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 an estimate by the World Bank, road accidents cost India about 3% of its gross domestic product every year.

Almost half, or 46.3%, of the road accident victims in 2016 were in the age-group of 18-35 years. The maximum number of road accidents — 1.9 lakh — occurred on two-lane roads.

Delhi topped the list of million plus cities with the highest number of road accident deaths — 1,591 — while Chennai recorded maximum accidents — 7,486.

In states, Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of deaths — 19,320 — followed by Tamil Nadu (17,218) and Maharashtra (12,935).

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% between 2005 and 2015, road length during the same period increased only by 3.75%. This has resulted in congestion on the roads leading to a spike in accidents, experts said.

The report shows overspeeding and talking on mobile phone while driving were two of the main factors that caused the maximum number of road accident and deaths.

Overspeeding accounted for the highest share of 66% accidents and 61% deaths and talking on mobile phone caused 4976 road accidents and 2138 deaths.

Two-wheelers accounted for most number of road accidents — 33.8% — followed by cars, jeeps, and taxis — 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.

The spiralling road accident numbers bring to fore the urgency to expedite the passage of the motor vehicle amendment bill, pending for several years. The amendments, first proposed in 2010, have yet to see the light of the day.

Once approved, the bill would pave way for a host of reforms, among which includes imposing of hefty penalties for violating traffic rules. The bill was referred to a parliamentary panel for a review during the monsoon session.