NEW DELHI: India has reported an increase in estimated road traffic deaths by two per cent during 2010-2021, with vulnerable road users like motorized two and three-wheelers and pedestrians constituting the total reported traffic deaths in the country, according to a report released by WHO on Monday.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), India reported 1,53,973 road traffic fatalities in 2021. However, as per WHO estimates, the number of road deaths in the same period was 2,16,618, according to the report ‘WHO South-East Asia Regional Status Report on Road Safety: Towards Safer and Sustainable Mobility’ released at the at the 15th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion (Safety 2024).
The World Health Body also estimated that in India, the highest number of people who died in road accidents were drivers/riders of motorized two/three wheelers, at 45.1 per cent, followed by pedestrians at nearly 19 per cent.
This is followed by drivers/passengers of motorized four-wheelers at 12.9 per cent. Cyclists constitute 3.1 per cent of road traffic deaths, while 20 per cent are others. The reported road traffic injuries in 2021 were 3,84,448.
According to the WHO estimates, as many as 3,30,222 deaths were reported in the South-East Asia Region (SEARO) in 2021 due to Road Traffic Injuries (RTI), which is equivalent to about 28 per cent of global road traffic deaths.
WHO said road safety, a public health and development priority, is crucial to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In September 2020, the UN General Assembly launched the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 which aims to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by at least 50 per cent by 2030.
However, India has not been able to set some of the targets such as halving the number of road traffic injuries and deaths related to drivers using alcohol, and/or achieving a reduction in those related to other psychoactive substances; increasing the proportion of motor vehicle occupants using safety belts or standard child-restraint systems to close to 100 per cent; increase the proportion of motorcycle riders correctly using standard helmets to close to 100 per cent; and establishing and achieving national targets to minimize the time interval between road traffic crash and the provision of first professional emergency care.
Calling on the South-East Asia Region, which has 11 members, including India, to accelerate measures to reduce road traffic deaths, a leading cause of mortality among young people aged 15-29, Saima Wazed, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia, said, “Vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, and two or three-wheelers constitute 66 per cent of all reported road traffic deaths in our Region.”
“Our roads and road networks need to be designed prioritizing those most at risk: children and adolescents, people with disabilities, pedestrians, and other vulnerable groups,”.
Strengthening trauma and emergency care systems, enhancing road safety data, strong leadership, and promoting collaboration among all stakeholders is essential for improving road safety, she added.