The city has a lot of ground to cover to reduce deaths by road accidents. In 2015, the road crash mortality rate in Bengaluru was 14 per 1 lakh population, which was higher than the national average of 12 per 1 lakh population, according to a study released on Friday. The major challenge is instilling respect for road safety rules, experts said.
The ‘Advancing Road Safety in India: Implementation is Key’ report was authored by G. Gururaj and Gautham M.S. of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in collaboration with UL, a global independent safety science company. It carries data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) as well as several published and unpublished surveys, and studies carried out across the country to present a complete picture of the road safety scenario.
Youth more are at risk
People in the 25-34 age group are at maximum risk of dying in road accidents, but the number of deaths begins to rise from the 14-15 age group. “Many students buy bikes when they join college. They can be taught the importance of road safety in college,” suggests R.A. Venkitachalam, vice-president, Public Safety Mission, UL India.
Another issue highlighted in the report is ‘where people die,’ to improve response systems. In Bengaluru, nearly 40% of deaths occur at or near crash sites. Another 20% occur in transit to a hospital; nearly half the victims die in hospital or later. The report recommends strengthening pre-hospital systems, focusing on trauma care at the site.
Karnataka ranks second in number of road accidents
In Karnataka, which ranked second in number of road accidents and fourth in number of fatalities in road accidents in 2015, there is an immediate need for adoption of road safety rules by motorists, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said.
Road accidents are on the rise in the State contrary to its objective of reducing them by 50% (from 2010 figures) by 2020. “We have rules but implementation is lagging due to lack of support from motorists. People must understand that the government frames safety rules to help motorists and not to cause trouble.”
He expects the Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill, pending before the Rajya Sabha, to be instrumental in bringing down the number of accidents.
The report recommends establishment of a lead road safety agency at the National and State levels that would be supported with a road safety action plan.
Improving data gathering
Data gathering is still at a basic stage in the country, as methods employed by the NCRB do not accurately reflect the state of accidents and their victims, a new study has claimed. “For example, in NCRB data, accidents related to pedestrians, motorists on two-wheeler and people on bicycles are under-reported. The data looks at accidents in terms of vehicles involved and not the victims,” said G. Gururaj, one of the authors of the study.
