As many as 151 persons lost their lives in road accidents in 2013 in Kochi city. Though there is a slight decrease in the number of road mishaps reported in Kochi, the number of deaths shows a small increase.
As per the data released by the Kerala Police, 2,248 accidents were reported in Kochi during 2013. As many as 151 people died, 1,394 were seriously injured and 826 suffered minor injuries. As many as 105 accidents were linked to KSRTC buses, 273 mishaps involved private buses, 112 were caused by lorries, 820 accidents by cars, 334 by autorickshaws and 1,633 by two-wheelers. The data revealed that the highest number of accidents reported in Kochi City was caused by rash driving. According to the data 2,164 accidents cases of rash driving were reported in the city. The majority of the accidents in the city occurred during the day time. In Kochi, 1,626 accidents took place during the day time while 622 took place at night. In the whole state, 35,215 accident cases were reported in which 4,258 people were killed.
In 2012, 2,280 accidents were reported in Kochi city in which 144 lost their lives. As many as 1,490 were seriously injured and 941 suffered minor injuries.
In Ernakulam Rural Police limit, 3,310 accidents were reported in 2013, the highest in the state when compared to other districts. In Ernakulam rural limit, 345 persons were killed. As many as 2,415 were seriously injured and 1,405 suffered minor injuries.
Police officials said that the vehicle density in Kochi and Ernakulam rural is very high compared to other districts resulting in large number of accidents. However, according to them, the accidents have decreased considerably as against 2012. “The highest number of accidents is linked to two-wheelers in which a large number of youths lost their life. So we have launched a drive to nab people resorting to high-speed riding and several youths have been caught,” police officials said.