The COVID-19 lockdown and the subsequent restrictions that were put in place to restrict the spread of the virus wreaked havoc on the economy, but it had a positive effect on fatal road accidents. With most people remaining at home and vehicular movement restricted, fatal accidents in Bengaluru dropped by 21.9% in one year.
In 2019, before the pandemic, 832 people lost their lives in 810 road accidents. Last year, the number of fatal accidents and fatalities fell to 632 and 657, respectively. However, during the same period, deaths owing to ‘self road accidents’ went up from 144 to 164.
These are some of the insights from a report on fatal road accidents reported from 2018 to 2020 by the city traffic police. According to the data, on an average 525 men and 100 women are victims of road accidents every year. A majority of them were aged between 21 and 40.
The most number of people who were killed in road accidents had an education till high school. The professional background of the majority of the deceased showed that they either worked in the private sector or were self-employed, said the report.
An analysis by the traffic police suggested that the highest number of accidents occurred on main roads and highways, but dropped on the ring road and flyovers in the city.
Fatalities on Sundays
The report states that in the last three years, the maximum number of deaths were reported on Sundays, while Saturdays saw the least number of fatal accidents. Here, too, 2020 saw a fewer number of fatalities on Sundays when compared with the previous two years.
Pedestrian deaths
With lack of good footpaths and other infrastructure, pedestrians remain vulnerable to road accidents. However, data showed that the number of pedestrian fatalities dropped from 273 in 2019 to 164 in 2020.
“In 2018 and 2019, pedestrian deaths constituted 32% of the total deaths. It has come down to 24% in 2020. The lockdown could be one factor,” stated the report.
In the last three years, the highest number of hit-and-run cases were reported between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. However, this too dropped from 318 in 2019 to 194 in 2020. Around 50% of the hit-and-run cases were reported on main roads.
Accidents involving buses
Accidents involving BMTC, KSRTC, and private buses dropped in 2020 as most of the buses remained off the road during lockdown and even after. The number of people killed in road accidents involving buses dropped from 68 in 2019 to 44 in 2020.
The report stated that the number of vehicles is rapidly increasing in the city, and it touched 95.59 lakh in May 2020.
On an average, 2,000 new vehicles are registered every day in Bengaluru.
