CHENNAI: It is a distinction which brings trepidation and fear to motorists: Tamil Nadu’s roads were the most dangerous in the country last year.The State topped in the number of road accidents (71,431) and witnessed the second-highest number of deaths (17,218) among all States. Chennai, in particular, recorded the highest number of road accidents (7,486) and the second-highest number of deaths (1,183) among all cities last year.These alarming figures were revealed by the annual report that the Union Minister of Road Transport released on Wednesday.
These statistics raise serious questions regarding safety for the transport department and traffic police to ponder. In 2015, Mumbai witnessed the highest number of road accidents (23,468).
A glance at the report is enough to show that the safety of motorists plying on roads in Chennai had worsened in 2016, when compared to the previous year. In terms of those killed on roads, Chennai stood second, next only to Delhi. There has been an increase from 886 in 2015 to 1,183 in 2016.
Worryingly, the number of fatal accidents in Chennai has increased from 859 in 2015 to 1,155 in 2016. The report has also found that 15.8 persons are killed per 100 accidents, a figure which has substantially increased from 2015, when 12.1 persons lost their lives per 100 accidents. Out of the total 7,486 accidents, injuries were recorded in 6,050 cases.
It is not just Chennai. Three other major cities in the State figure in the list. Coimbatore is the second deadliest city in the State with 288 deaths and 1,199 injuries.
The State transport department had recently embarked on several measures to contain accidents, starting with enforcement of the helmet rule and making driving licences mandatory for purchase and registration of vehicles.