KOCHI: Public disregard and administrative apathy continue to make our roads dangerous. Lack of proper safety gear and poor, unscientific infrastructure count among the chief reasons for the sharp increase in road accidents in the state. And incidents involving motorcycles continued to be the biggest villain in 2022 -- at 13,334 cases that claimed 1,288 lives. The same category of vehicle was involved in 10,154 accidents in 2021 that resulted in the death of 1,069 persons.
According to Kerala police data, there were 43,910 road accidents in the state in 2022, which left 4,317 people killed, 34,638 grievously injured and 14,669 with minor injuries. In comparison, there were 33,296 accidents reported in 2021 that resulted in 3,429 fatalities, and left 26,495 persons seriously injured and 10,280 suffering minor injuries. Among 20 police districts, Ernakulam Rural police -- with 4,047 incidents -- continued to top in terms of number of accidents within its jurisdiction. They were followed by Alappuzha, with 3,666 case, and Thiruvananthapuram Rural, with 3,260.
According to Upendra Narayanan, CEO of the Indian Institute of Road Safety, most accidents take place due to driving error. A former rally driver, Upendra has been associated with road-safety campaigns for over 25 years and police from various states collaborate with him to devise safety measures. “Primarily, people are unaware and not bothered about road safety. Similarly, reckless driving is also rising.
Furthermore, we have infrastructure-related issues. Awareness of road safety and traffic norms will reduce accidents. We associated with Ernakulam Rural police in 2008, and road accident numbers reduced drastically the very next year. That was possible only due to campaigns carried out at over 360 schools. Students in the United States or Europe while graduating from high school are fully aware of traffic norms and rules. Here, even postgraduates can’t read some traffic signs,” he said.
Among the other category of vehicles, cars were involved in 12,681 accidents and 974 fatalities in 2022. Scooters accounted for 4,422 incidents that left 377 persons dead. Auto rickshaws resulted in 3,664 accidents and claimed 264 lives.
The much-vilified private buses, however, caused 1,902 accidents, taking the lives of 215 persons. Lorries were involved in 1,714 accidents that caused 364 fatalities.
“One of the main issues with motorcycles is that they are not made according to our road specifications.
The roads in Kerala are designed for vehicles to ply at the maximum speed of 100km per hour (kmph). Unlike in developed countries, there is no specification for vehicles rolled out here in keeping with road conditions.
There are motorcycles sold in the market that can reach speeds of 200 kmph. Presently only commuter motorcycles suit our conditions,” said Upendra, the nominated road safety expert of the Kerala Road Safety Authority.
The police data also reveal that the most number of accidents in the state occur between 6pm and 9pm. As many as 2,312 accidents killing 213 persons were reported between 6pm and 9pm in 2022. Between 3pm and 6pm, there were 2,298 accidents in which 140 persons died. Between 9am and 12pm, there were 2,193 accidents causing the deaths of 156 people.
“These are peak hours, when people rush to offices and return home. So, the number of vehicles on the roads will be higher. However, we also have a high number of fatal accidents during the late-night period from 9pm to 12pm,” said an officer with the motor vehicle department (MVD).
When it comes to cause of accidents, most of them are due to the fault on the part of the driver of the vehicle with 26,508 cases claiming the lives of 2,514 persons. A mistake on the part of drivers of other vehicles caused 8,429 accidents resulting in the deaths of 648 persons. Drunken driving claimed 33 lives in 166 accidents reported in the state last year. Stray animals caused 157 accidents killing 31 persons.