India Accounts for One In 10 Road Deaths Globally

Bangalore: Road accidents and fatalities are becoming big threats in India. One out of 10 road deaths across the world is reported from India and every sixth car crash around the globe also happens in India, reported Dipak Kumar Dash for TNN. This is in spite of India having only 1 percent of the global vehicle population.

Experts from across the globe recently gathered in New Zealand capital Wellington for the World Safety Conference organized by the WHO and recommended to the Indian government to make one agency responsible for road safety issues. It was noted that at least 14 people die every hour on our roads. Road fatalities in the country amplified from 1.32 lakh in 2010 to 1.43 lakh in 2011.

Dr Manjul Joshipuria, WHO's Geneva-based scientist on violence and injury prevention and disability said "Ideally, since India's vehicle share is very less, there should be less number of road accidents and injuries due to mishaps. Increasing number of vehicles and expansion of roads without paying enough attention to safety have made things worse," as reported by TOI.

In spite of India being a participant of UN's 'Decade of Action' programme that aims at reducing road deaths by 50 percent during this decade, the announcement of its plan has not yet been made.

Alan Lopez who is heading a team of 170 researchers for the World Bank-sponsored study - the Global Burden of Disease and Injuries (GBDS), which is to be released soon, said developing countries are doing little to control road deaths and they were not assertively pursuing legislations like compulsory use of helmets for two-wheeler drivers. He also said that total deaths due to injuries in 2010 were about 5.1 million.