<p>Statistics in “Road Accidents in India 2015,” a report compiled by the Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways confirm public fears that not only are India’s roads death traps but also road accidents have emerged as a major public health concern. According to the report, there were 5,00,279 road accidents in 2015. Around 1,46,133 people lost their lives and three times this number were injured in these accidents. This means that last year on an average, 400 people died daily in road accidents. At least 57 road accidents claimed the lives of 17 people every hour in this country. The majority of those who die in road accidents are youth in the 15-34 years age group. These alarming figures are growing. The number of road accidents, for instance, increased by 2.5% in 2015 while the severity of accidents soared by 29%. The report blames drivers for the majority (77%) of accidents. Reckless driving puts at risk the lives of the driver as well as other passengers, pedestrians and commuters. As much to blame as irresponsible drivers are corrupt RTO officials and traffic police, who facilitate such reckless driving by either issuing driving licences to those with little driving skills or ignore traffic violations.<br /><br />One of the major causes of road accidents that the report refers to is faulty road engineering, a point that Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari drew attention to while releasing the report. The government, he said, is considering studying engineering flaws in road design that cause road accidents. Stricter rules for issuing driving licences, training and awareness creation among truck drivers and a new road safety bill providing stern punishment to traffic rule breakers are among other measures that the government is planning on make roads safer. While these are welcome measures, it is time that the government addresses the root problem: the abysmal quality of our roads.<br /><br />Pot-holed and dug up roads are treacherous terrain and a major cause of accidents. Vehicles swerve to avoid potholes and end up hitting other vehicles and pedestrians. Two-wheeler drivers in particular find negotiating such roads extremely difficult. Pot-holes are the result of poor quality road construction. Contractors have to bribe politicians to secure deals and use inferior materials to cut costs. It is well known that bribes from road construction are an important source of funds for political parties. Thus politicians, officials and contractors cannot escape responsibility for road accidents becoming a public health hazard. Will Gadkari take a hard look and act against this malaise?<br /><br /></p>
<p>Statistics in “Road Accidents in India 2015,” a report compiled by the Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways confirm public fears that not only are India’s roads death traps but also road accidents have emerged as a major public health concern. According to the report, there were 5,00,279 road accidents in 2015. Around 1,46,133 people lost their lives and three times this number were injured in these accidents. This means that last year on an average, 400 people died daily in road accidents. At least 57 road accidents claimed the lives of 17 people every hour in this country. The majority of those who die in road accidents are youth in the 15-34 years age group. These alarming figures are growing. The number of road accidents, for instance, increased by 2.5% in 2015 while the severity of accidents soared by 29%. The report blames drivers for the majority (77%) of accidents. Reckless driving puts at risk the lives of the driver as well as other passengers, pedestrians and commuters. As much to blame as irresponsible drivers are corrupt RTO officials and traffic police, who facilitate such reckless driving by either issuing driving licences to those with little driving skills or ignore traffic violations.<br /><br />One of the major causes of road accidents that the report refers to is faulty road engineering, a point that Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari drew attention to while releasing the report. The government, he said, is considering studying engineering flaws in road design that cause road accidents. Stricter rules for issuing driving licences, training and awareness creation among truck drivers and a new road safety bill providing stern punishment to traffic rule breakers are among other measures that the government is planning on make roads safer. While these are welcome measures, it is time that the government addresses the root problem: the abysmal quality of our roads.<br /><br />Pot-holed and dug up roads are treacherous terrain and a major cause of accidents. Vehicles swerve to avoid potholes and end up hitting other vehicles and pedestrians. Two-wheeler drivers in particular find negotiating such roads extremely difficult. Pot-holes are the result of poor quality road construction. Contractors have to bribe politicians to secure deals and use inferior materials to cut costs. It is well known that bribes from road construction are an important source of funds for political parties. Thus politicians, officials and contractors cannot escape responsibility for road accidents becoming a public health hazard. Will Gadkari take a hard look and act against this malaise?<br /><br /></p>
