Booze not prime cause for mishaps in Kerala
Of the total 4,196 killed in road accidents, only 11 were due to drunken driving.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While drunken driving and increasing road accidents have prompted the Supreme Court to prohibit liquor shops along the national and state highways across the state, in Kerala the number of accidents caused by drunken driving is even less than one percent of the total road accidents. Similarly, the number of accidents on national and state highways in the state is much lesser than the accidents taking place on other roads.
According to road accident reports of the state police, the number of accidents caused by drunken driving in the state during last year was only 27 whereas the total number of accidents during the year was 39,014. Of the total 4,196 killed in road accidents, only 11 were due to drunken driving. A similar trend can be seen during the previous years too. However, traffic experts maintain that the figures provided by the police might not reflect the real situation as many drunken driving cases go unreported.
“In many drunken driving accidents, the driver evades immediate police custody. Hence it would be difficult to prove drunken driving,” said road safety activist Upendra Narayanan. Of the 39,014 accidents during last year, 16,330 took place on national and state highways, whereas 22,684 took place on other roads. However, fatalities in road accidents on highways are slightly higher than that on other roads. During last year 2,209 were killed in road accidents on state and national highways, whereas the deaths in accidents on other roads were only 1,987.
But the number of those injured in road accidents on highways is far below the number of those injured in accidents on other roads. During last year 18,377 were injured in road accidents on highways, whereas it was 25,358 in road accidents on other roads. The figures during the preceding years also reflect a similar trend. It should be borne in mind that there has been partial prohibition in the state since 2014-15 with bars being restricted only to five-star hotels and over 700 bars being converted into beer and wine parlours.