Kerala - Others   

28,000 deaths on Kerala roads in ten years

John L. Paul

Call for better roads and rule enforcement

KOCHI: As many as 28,000 people have lost their lives on Kerala roads in the last 10 years, with the State registering the highest accident rate in the country.

Though more people were killed in Maharashtra, the fatality rate was lower, considering that accidents were spread out across Maharashtra, which is much bigger in size than Kerala and has many big cities, including Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur.

Talking to The Hindu , Mahesh Chand, Chief Project Coordinator of National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC), said every motorist in the State was two-and-a-half times more at risk of road accident than the average Indian motorist.

NATPAC director T. Elankovan said 3,060 people were killed in accidents on Kerala roads in 2005. The figure was 3,060 in 2004 and 2,800 in 2003. "With more private vehicles taking to the roads, Kerala has come to have the highest accident rate in the country. If police records are to be believed, human failure (on the part of road users, including drivers, pedestrians and vendors) is responsible for 90 per cent of the accidents. This includes factors such as speeding, poor eye sight and drunken driving. Bad condition of roads is another factor," said Mr. Elankovan. Unscientifically-constructed and potholed roads and bridges, inadequate road-safety signages, lack of road ethics, speeding and lethargy in enforcing traffic rules have contributed to this plight.

Upendra Narayan, director of the Indian Institute of Road Safety, said the condition of roads continued to be pitiable, despite heavy tax collected from vehicle owners.

"On an average, nine deaths take place on Kerala roads daily. As many as 5 lakh people had been injured across the State, many of them suffering permanent disability. Neither the drivers/people responsible for the accident nor the Government officials who had failed in ensuring a safe ride had been punished. Road safety has never been a priority with the Government. The State Road Safety Council has not met for the past two-and-a-half years. This is a matter of concern," he says.

Siraj Karoly, lawyer and vice-president of Road Accident Action Forum (RAAF), said the main reason for the rising number of road accidents was that drivers were not held responsible for the accidents. "Instead of charging them under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder - a cognizable, non-bailable offence which can attract up to life imprisonment) of the Indian Penal Code, the police generally invoked Section 304-A (causing death by negligence - a bailable offence that entails maximum punishment of only two years or fine). A token fine is the maximum that is levied on the offenders."

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