Chennai: Over 3,000 youngsters die every day from largely preventable causes, according to a new report from World Health Organization (WHO), which also states that one of the biggest causes of death among adolescents is road traffic injuries which caused around 1,15,302 deaths globally last year.
In a country which is the number one contributor to the global road crash mortality and morbidity figures (according to WHO), the fact that Tamil Nadu is the ‘state with the most number of road traffic accidents’ (14 per cent of all road accidents in India), experts urge for improved education on safe driving to reduce the burden.
In the last decade alone, India had lost 1.3 million lives to road crashes and another 5.3 million were disabled for life, stated the WHO report. “One of the main factors found responsible for road traffic accidents is the usage of mobile phones while driving. Everyone has a fear of missing out on what is happening around them and are therefore always checking their phones or talking while on the road,” said counselor P. Nilam.
In a report titled ‘Distracted Driving in India: A study on Mobile Phone Usage, Pattern and Behavior’, conducted by Vodafone India and Save Life Foundation, it was found that 94 per cent people in the city believe that the use of mobile phones while driving is dangerous. “Despite the fact that the public is well aware of the dangers involved in using phones while driving, they fail to let go of the habit and it is mostly seen among youngsters,” added the counselor.
The state had recorded 15,642 fatalities due to road accidents last year - just behind Uttar Pradesh, where 17,666 persons had lost their lives. “Introducing chapters on road safety at the school level is the need of the hour. Such lessons should be taught at a young age as only then would there be any scope for betterment,” said Rama Rao, a transportation activist.
Banning phones on campuses is not enough. Institutions should ensure students are aware of the risks involved. Youngsters should realise that unsafe riding is dangerous to others on the road as well, the activist added.
