Death of teens in accidents on rise

A study conducted by the City traffic police has revealed that fatal road accidents involving teens are on the rise over the past two years.

Most of these young victims are two-wheeler riders, says the report that was released by the police here on Friday. The report is both a macro and micro-analysis of all road accidents reported from 2011 to 2013.

Two-wheeler riders constitute 37 per cent of the total casualties in road accidents, followed by pedestrians (20 per cent) and, they are categorised as vulnerable road users. The highest number of people who are killed in road accidents are two-wheeler riders in the age group of 19 and 35. It is also observed that the causalities reported in the age group of 1 to 12 are also on the rise from the past two years.

The study shows that occurrence of accidents varied between 14 and 15 a day on an average, and sometimes, more than 20 accidents being reported in a single day. A majority of the accidents take place in the evenings, late night hours and over the weekends, especially on Sundays.

The causative factors for the accidents that the study found are roads, regulation, land use, road use behaviour and traffic. The study also recommends several steps to bring down the accident rate in the City – they include developing a road safety action plan comprising time-bound measures, constitution of a road safety committee, strict enforcement of laws and a quick and efficient post-accident caring system.

Director General and Inspector General of Police Lalrokhuma Pachuau said, “ The in-depth analysis provided in the report would go a long way in devising means of reducing traffic accidents and preventing them. The City’s vehicular population has increased rapidly in a short span of time, so naturally accidents will occur. This report will help us examine the issues of road safety and to take necessary measures to prevent accidents,” he said.

City Police Commissioner Raghavendra H Auradkar said he has interacted with the authorities in the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike and the Bangalore Development Authority on engineering solutions for the City roads to reduce risk of accidents.

“They would also consider carrying out a detailed study on the condition of drivers while driving and also make the riders and drivers more aware of safe driving. Stricter rules should be enforced if people are found violating traffic rules,” said Auradkar.