Kerala - Alappuzha   

Concern over rise in accident deaths in Alappuzha district

By Our Staff Reporter

ALAPPUZHA, APRIL 6. Alappuzha district has registered a steep increase in the number of road accidents and deaths in the first three months of this year. This was revealed at a workshop on road safety organised by the Department of Community Medicine of the Alappuzha Medical College on its campus today.

The National Planning and Transportation Research Centre (NATPAC) Director, T. Elangovan, who delivered the keynote address at the workshop said the number of road accidents and deaths had registered an alarming increase during the three months compared to the corresponding period of last year.

He pointed out that 64 deaths had occurred this year compared to 45 deaths during the corresponding period last year. There was more than 30 per cent increase in accidents and deaths in the period, he said.

The NATPAC director pointed out that two-wheelers were involved in a large number of accidents in the district. Out of the 64 deaths, 18 resulted from collision between two-wheelers. Two-wheeler drivers and pedestrians together constituted 80 per cent of accident victims in the district, he said.

A majority of accident victims who rode two-wheelers belonged to the age group of 25-40 and NATPAC studies had found that 60 per cent of the drivers involved in accidents had vision defects, Mr. Elangovan said.

On the issue of drunkenness leading to accidents, Mr. Elangovan said it was mainly found among drivers of private vehicles. Carelessness of pedestrians was one of the reasons that lead to accidents, he said.

Mr. Elangovan pointed out that a majority of accidents and deaths could have been avoided by careful driving. Those who spoke at the workshop noted that an integrated approach involving the Motor Vehicle department, the Public Works department, the police, the BSNL and other private companies in the telecom sector was needed to bring down the number of accidents.

The participants wanted the issue of road accidents to be viewed as a public health problem that can be controlled.

The District Collector, K. M. Ramanandan, inaugurated the workshop.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

• Concern over rise in accident deaths in Alappuzha district

Copyright © 2004, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu