Deaths caused by road accidents

Deaths caused by road accidents will continue to rise if present trends continue, feels the AAUI President. All it takes to reverse this trend, though, is to show a little courtesy on the road.

The increase in road accidents is a growing cause of concern amongst the general public and policymakers. Although road accidents are regularly reported in the media, and there is awareness, how many of us – both as drivers and pedestrians – really behave responsibly on the road?

As many as 150,785 people were killed in road accidents in 2016, as against 146,133 killed in 2015. 46.3% of those killed were in the 18-35 age group. Lives lost daily in 2016 reached a figure of 413, with Delhi topping the list of fatalities. That’s like a jet crashing with 413 persons on board every day!

Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu accounted for the largest number of fatalities. Road accidents in the country decreased by around 4.1% during 2016, with the year seeing 480,652 accidents as against 501,423 in 2015. However, fatalities from road accidents increased by about 3.2% during the same period. The fact is that deaths caused by road accidents will continue to rise if present trends continue.

How often have we heard from those visiting India that the driving culture here is the worst in the world? Innumerable times, perhaps. Most Indian drivers have little regard for fellow road users, including motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, two-wheeler riders or bus drivers.

If drivers had more consideration for other road users, and showed courtesy on the road, I have no doubt that the road death toll would reduce. Courtesy means respect for others as well as yourself. This is the first lesson taught in a defensive driving course by the Automobile Association of Upper India (AAUI).

Let me illustrate this further in the situation of lane driving.  When a driver ahead courteously makes way for you to change lanes or overtake, with a friendly wave, it certainly fosters the same spirit in you and encourages you to do the same. This is why, next year, the AAUI has decided to launch a campaign called “Courtesy is Contagious.”  

In this campaign, you won’t be alone. There are plans to enlist support from other voluntary agencies, motorists, and, above all, the traffic police – who are eager to associate with such programmes of public interest. Traffic safety education initiatives on lane driving, violation of signals and higher awareness of the dangers of drunk driving by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Transport Department, Traffic Police and the AAUI are definitely paying rewards.

This aside, even a single death on our roads is one too many – and it behoves us all to play whatever part we can to reduce the number of people killed on the roads. Each of us shares the responsibility, and we shouldn’t just leave it to others.

You may ask – how can we, as motorists, make any meaningful contribution? Though we all assume that we’re safe drivers, the fact is that accidents don’t just happen – they are caused by us. We need to be more alert and responsible on the roads.

Personally, I believe many of these accidents can be avoided if all of us have more regard for the fact that we’re not alone on the roads. New traffic regulations, which have been approved by the Cabinet, have stiffer traffic penalties and fines for violators. The fines, some of which have been enhanced by 10-times, are sure to act as a deterrent to ensure better road safety. But rather than spreading a culture of fear (of road fines), we’d much rather spread the message of courtesy – towards all road users.   

T.K. Malhotra is the President of the Automobile Association of Upper India (AAUI).