A recent report by UL and NIMHANS puts the number of traffic deaths across the state in 2015 at over 13,000, a marked increase from the official figure: 10,856, with pedestrians, two-wheelers and cyclists accounting for nearly 80% of fatalities. Transport Commissioner M.K. Aiyar declared that the number of accidents will see a 50% reduction by 2020 but current infrastructure is far from adequate with motorists often blamed. A holistic solution calls for awareness, collaborations across stakeholders and policy changes.
It’s no secret that Bengaluru’s are roads are heavily burdened with traffic, but going by official reports they are also dangerous. In fact, the city is ranked fourth in accidental deaths after Jaipur, Chennai, and Delhi by the National Crime Records Bureau, Ministry of Road Transport and Highway, Law Commission of India, and Global Status Report on Road Safety, 2013.
With Karnataka as a whole finding place among the top five states in accidental road deaths in 2015 and 2016, the time has clearly to act to save lives both on city roads and the highways. Indicating that the government is not blind to the situation, Transport Commissioner, M.K. Aiyappa declared at the valedictory function of the 28th Road Safety Week in January that the state aimed to reduce the number of road accident deaths by 50 per cent by 2020 in keeping with the target set by the World Health Organisation under its Sustainable Development Goals
The task ahead is unlikely to be easy as a recent UL and NIMHANS report on road safety put the number of road traffic deaths in the state at 10,856 in 2015.
"The official reports say some 10,000 people died in road accidents in 2015, but the real numbers could be over 13,000," says Dr G. Gururaj, head of WHO CC and Centre for Public Health at NIMHANS, revealing that the premier institute has some 60 to 80 emergency road accident cases referred to it every day.
"Speed is the biggest reason for major accidents and is common to all cities. Considering the numbers, it will be extremely difficult to get them down by 50 per cent. What we need is legislation and enforcement over the next three to five years. Road safety management, safer road infrastructure, safe vehicles, road user behaviour, and post-crash care are the five pillars and if these can be enforced , we can reduce deaths by perhaps 30 per cent to 40 per cent," he concedes.
Noting that road accidents are the leading contributor to mortality and disability in India, he reveals that while the actual number of people disabled for short or long term is unknown due to lack of reliable data, it is estimated that road accidents account for 15 per cent of total disabilities, which makes action to curb them all the more essential.
"The government needs to focus on simple things like taking strict action against construction of illegal humps, illegal parking and barricades in the middle of the roads and also address the issue of potholes immediately as they increase the fatality of the accident," stresses Mr Girikumar Kumaresh, technical architect and accident research expert, advance vehicle safety functions, BOSCH.
While observing that with the recent passage of the Motor Vehicles Bill in the Lok Sabha, there is a renewed vigour in the government to gear the country toward safer roads, Mr R A Venkitachalam, vice president, public safety, UL, says the situation cannot be rectified by one agency alone . “Multiple stakeholders, from the government, corporates, auto manufacturers, law enforcement and health care professionals, educational institutions and road safety experts need to collaborate on a scientific level to evolve a sustainable solution for the problem," he underlines.
Why you should always, always wear a helmet!
- Use of helmets by two-wheeler riders and pillions reduces deaths and injuries by nearly 40% and 70% respectively as per WHO. The presence of a helmet at the time of crash reduces the deceleration of the skull and hence the brain movement internally; absorbs some of the impact of crash through the cushioning effect; spreads the forces of the impact over a greater surface area; and prevents direct contact between the skull and the impacting object by acting as a mechanical barrier.
- The Global Road Safety Status Report-- (GRSSR) 2015 reports that the current level of enforcement pertaining to helmet usage in India is rated at 4 (out of 10) with only 40% of riders wearing helmets; this indicates the limited implementation of a vital safety measure.
Drunk driving major cause of accidents
The figures are an eyeopener. Going by official data on an average, two persons die in a road accident every day in Bengaluru. And the number of deaths, like the number of vehicles on the city’s roads, are increasing every year. While in 2014, 737 died in road accidents, the number rose to 740 the following year and to 793 in 2016. And this year road accidents have claimed 216 lives till April.
Data also indicates that drunken driving is one of the major cause of fatal accidents in the city as it saw 62,576 and 59,028 drunken driving cases in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Multiple reports suggest that pedestrians and two-wheelers riders account for 80 per cent of road accident deaths and injuries.
While the figures clearly cry out for constructive measures to prevent accidents, former traffic advisor to the Karnataka government, Prof. M N Sreehari blames ineffective road safety policies and lack of strategies on post-crash interventions and behavior change , failure to train volunteers in basic life support, and in identifying and establishing high-risk accident zones for the current situation.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had himself recently observed that besides engineering improvements, there was a need for behavioral change among road users in the interest of their safety in the state.
