Road safety continues to be a major issue in the city according to a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH), Hyderabad.
The study reveals that in spite of various dangers posing on roads, only 10 to 15 per cent of two-wheeler riders wear helmets, and just 21 per cent of road accidents are reported to the police.
“We need to have some improvisation on certain processes in the programmes that are being implemented. There are some innovative programmes in the police department but we need training and assessment before we implement them, otherwise they would lead to problems at times,” said additional commissioner of police (traffic) Amit Garg, speaking at Road Safety 10 (RS), a consultative workshop organised by the IIPH here on Wednesday.
Garg said that there would always be resistance and criticism from civil society whenever new initiatives were introduced. Citing an example, he pointed out that the helmet rule which was made compulsory had received a lot of flak from the general public.
“Many people argue that there is no point in wearing a helmet as the travelling speed is very less in Hyderabad. However, wearing it will definitely prevent one from getting hurt if the commuter is involved in an accident,” he said.
GVS Murthy of IIPH said that fatal accidents were the major concern in the country. “For any sort of intervention to be implemented, individuals also have to contribute along with us,” he said.
The RS 10 is a five-year project, which was initiated in 2010 to improve road safety in low and middle-income countries. Hyderabad and Jalandhar were the two cities selected for the project in the country.
