Major killer in
India is Road Accident
Road accidents
in India kill more people than some epidemics. These road deaths are due to the
antiquated traffic management and transportation system. Our country’s status is
among the riskiest in the world for road users. Data shows that more than
half of those killed are in the
productive age group of 15 to 34, pointing to a calamitous loss of young lives.
This is a
public health emergency that requires immediate action. One of the most productive measures to bring down accidents is zero
tolerance enforcement. There should be strong policing and two-wheeler riders must be compelled to wear helmets. Whenever
there is an accident the police always refer to it as ‘driver’s fault’ when
actually the faults are the bad road design, failure of civic agencies to
maintain infrastructure, systemic corruption in transport departments in
vehicle certification and licensing of drivers and also as more vehicles enter
the decrepit roads and more unqualified and cynical drivers are part of the
equation, deaths and injuries will only increase.
It is true a
big number of accidents occurs in India due to not abiding the laws and by not
using proper safety measures. But apart from that the fault lies in the fact
that there are many faults in the designing of roads and their maintenance,
which leads to deaths and injuries. So to reduce the accidents government must
take proper actions to enforce the traffic rules and also improve
infrastructure of roads.
There is not
one but a zillion reasons behind these ever increasing number of road
accidents. One thing is rash driving by youngsters or drunken driving but there
are factors like more than over loaded trunks that topple over other motor
vehicles on highways. Roads that are built anew are in but a devastated state
after a single spell of rain.
It’s something
that really needs the attention of every individual, to drive safe, discourage
rash/drunken driving. We often turn a blind eye to bad road plans or to roads
with open sewer holes which in the end result in severe accidents during
monsoon spell. A country can only truly develop if and only if the citizen of
that country develop along with it. We can only expect
a better India if we are willing enough to make it better ourselves.
Taxi drivers
and bikers are amongst the most reckless in driving their vehicles. While
bikers take other motorists' good sense for granted while openly flouting
safety norms, taxi drivers intimidate other motorists into giving them way
unmindful of the hazards both to themselves and the person at the receiving end
of their antics. If these two types of motorists mind their ways our country will
be a safer place.
Lot many can be
done for reducing the numbers of accidents. Particularly on NHs, the humps
manufactured on the spot, of various size and shape are a menace. Instead of
reducing speed they are breaking vehicles. Cars are the worst sufferers. One
step that can come to the aid of reducing accidents is to implement a standard
size and shape of humps or speed breakers throughout the country. One such can
be of 150 mm elevation and 1500 mm width running across the width of the road
with smooth ascending and descending approaches. These speed breakers can also
double as Zebra crossings.
Thus the main
reasons behind number of accidents that take place are reckless driving,
impatience, lack of knowledge about safe driving, road rules and regulations, and
most importantly corrupt officials who always catch the 'driver ' just to get
some extra income.
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