IRF urges govt to treat road accidents in India on lines of coronavirus pandemic

Highlighting that there are as many as 417 deaths on Indian roads every day, global road safety body IRF on Wednesday demanded treating road accidents in India at par with coronavirus pandemic.

According to International Road Federation (IRF), road accidents in India contribute 12 per cent of the global accidents, which is no less than a pandemic and could be effectively checked and handled with government support.

The organisation welcomed Indian government's quick moves to prevent the spread of deadly coronavirus in the country by taking various measures but urged it to treat road accidents in the country on similar lines to prevent fatal accidents.

"IRF has urged the Indian government to treat road traffic accidents on similar lines as the prevention and treatment of coronavirus pandemic," it said in a statement.

During the year 2018 about 1.51 lakh people died in 4.67 lakh road accidents in India with an average of 417 fatalities per day. But with few hundred cases of coronavirus being reported in the country, the entire central and state governments have woken up and taken preventable measures on war footing. IRF urges government to take similar steps to prevent fatal road accidents," said KK Kapila, President, Emeritus, IRF.

Kapila said most of the road accident deaths and injuries in the country are preventable by simple road safety solutions including wearing of helmets by two-wheeler drivers, promoting safer behaviour, proper marking of roads, reclaiming of sidewalks from encroachers, strict adherence to safety norms, and regular road safety audits to identify black spots and their addressal.

As per the data of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, about 72 per cent vehicles are two-wheelers in the country and 24 per cent are four-wheelers.

About 35 per cent of total road traffic deaths in the country are contributed by two-wheelers, 18 per cent by four-wheelers, 11 per cent by trucks and other heavy duty commercial vehicles and 10 per cent by vulnerable pedestrians.