Indian Roads Are Turning Deadlier For Pedestrians, At Least 56 Die Everyday In Accidents
Pedestrians are the most vulnerable road users as they have no protection in case of an accident.
Indian roads are turning deadlier for pedestrians. Government data show the number of fatalities shooting up from 12,330 in 2014 to 20,457 in 2017 ¡ª a jump of nearly 66%. It translates to 56 pedestrians dying daily last year, despite policymakers and authorities talking about prioritising pedestrian safety.
Pedestrians are the most vulnerable road users as they have no protection in case of an accident. Cyclists and two-wheeler occupants also fall in this category. According to official data, 133 two-wheeler occupants and nearly 10 cyclists were killed daily in road accidents in 2017.
Tamil Nadu reported a maximum number of 3,507 pedestrians killed in road accidents last year, followed by Maharashtra (1,831) and Andhra Pradesh (1,379). Similarly, in the case of two-wheeler deaths, Tamil Nadu topped the list with 6,329 fatalities followed by 5,699 in Uttar Pradesh and 4,659 in Maharashtra.
bccl/representational image
In total, the three categories of victims had more than half of the share of all road deaths across the country in 2017. Union road transport secretary YS Malik recently lamented how motorists in India, unlike in developed countries, have little respect for the rights of pedestrians.
Designated footpaths are routinely encroached by parked vehicles and shops, especially in urban areas, forcing the pedestrians to walk on roads.
¡°The trend of vulnerable road users getting killed is the same across all southeast Asian countries and hence we need to find solutions to our problems of how to make roads safer for pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
bccl/representational image
There is a dire need to segregate these road users from other vehicles to reduce conflicts,¡± said K K Kapila of International Road Federation.
On September 17, TOI reported how a study by World Bank, iRAP and NHAI + had found nearly the entire Delhi-Mumbai and Mumbai-Chennai corridors of Golden Quadrilateral lacking any facility for two-wheelers, pedestrians and cyclists. However, there is no specific data on how many pedestrians die on national and state highways.
In a step aimed at reducing road fatalities, the Centre has made it must for all models of two-wheelers from April 2019 to have anti-lock braking system (ABS).
bccl/representational image
ABS generally improves control over the vehicle and decreases stopping distances on dry and slippery surfaces. Due to fear of a locked wheel, riders often don¡¯t apply the brake fully even in emergency situation which contributes to higher number of crashes. ABS can also avoid an accident or reduce collision speed significantly.
