Road accidents, fatalities go up by 2.4% in 2019

Highest number of 545 fatalities reported from Thiruvananthapuram

In 2019, 12 persons were killed each day on roads, as 4,408 road users lost their lives in 41,153 accidents in the State.

Despite stern enforcement measures to ensure road discipline, accidents and fatalities during the January-December period went up by 2.4% compared to the same period in 2018. The number of accidents went up from 40,181 in 2018 to 41,153 in 2019 and the fatalities, from 4,303 to 4,408, as per the provisional road accident statistics released by the Technical Support Group of the Kerala Road Safety Authority (KRSA).

Strict steps needed

The fatalities per day was 11.78 in 2018 and this went up to 12.07 last year, pointing out the need for further strengthening of the enforcement measures. In 2017, as many as 4,131 were killed in 38,470 road accidents.

In 2019, the road accidents dipped in Idukki by 19.8%, by 5.9% in Kasaragod, and 5.1% in Thiruvananthapuram district. However, the accidents went up by 11.9% in Kozhikode, 8.5% in Kottayam and Eranakulam, 8.2% in Wayanad, 8.1% in Kannur, and 6.1% in Pathanamthitta district.

The highest number of 545 fatalities was reported from Thiruvananthapuram district with the accidents going up by 0.2% in 2019 compared to 2018. Idukki recorded a 16.5% increase in fatalities (106 deaths), Palakkad 14.4% (397), Pathanamthitta 14.1% (170) and Kozhikode 11.1% (379).

The fatalities dipped by 8.5% in Kasaragod (118), 8.5% in Thrissur (411), and 6.2% in Kollam district (440) in 2019 compared to 2018.

Road Safety Commissioner, KRSA, N. Shanker Reddy told The Hindu that the stern enforcement measures by the Motor Vehicles Department and the police to ensure road discipline and the hike in the penalty for offences committed by motorists had yielded results and got reflected in the fatality data.