India has one of the highest death rates on the road compared to her Asian neighbors as well as the European and Western countries. One country which can be pointed out for having a higher number of death cases than India is China. In India, around 1 lakh to 1.5 people lose their lives in road accidents every year, and in China, it’s around 2 lakhs.
You can assume that highly populated countries will obviously have a high number of drivers so, a high number of deaths. To some extent, it’s true as, in countries like USA, Brazil, Russia, the accidents are pretty much higher than those with less population.
But it’s not just about the numbers, it’s the matter of life and, every life does matter.
This article will take you through the most common mistakes Indians do on road and the consequences of those mistakes. We will discuss the shortfalls of Government, automobile manufacturers, and the Indian drivers.
This article is only to make everyone aware of the present issues we face on road and, not to hurt peoples' sentiments or defame anyone.
The Indian government has been successful in reducing the accidents from the last few years. The national capital Delhi saw a decline in death rate in recent years and, around the country then there is a 3% decline in road accident-related deaths.
Ever wondered the main cause of accidents and deaths, yes there are many but, which factor matters the most and which one are we ignoring to learn from our past.
There are blame games going on between the Road safety authority, state government and The central government. But what is the root cause of even a slight bump or an exploding collision on the road?
First, we would say, it’s the driver/owner of the car. That is obvious because of Indians/buyers mindset. Deaths are not just due to the head-on collision, even which is one of the highest in the world, but there are many more reasons other than this, one of them being the people; who don’t give a damn about safety.
Tamil Nadu has the record of having the most number of accidents on road, and, Chennai topping the list of cities in TN.
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| Source: India TV- https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/men-between-18-45-years-are-the-worst-victims-of-road-accident-57023.html |
2017 saw a 3% decline in road accident deaths. Figures for those killed on road in 2017 came down in 4560 or 3% compared to 2016's. States like Punjab, Gujarat, and West Bengal have shown a decline in deaths, Bihar, Odisha, UP and MP has shown an increase in deaths.
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| Source: Times of India- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/2017-saw-3-decline-in-road-accident-deaths/articleshow/62828118.cms |
Head on Collision and Losing Control
Now we can say that the obvious cause of the collision, head-on collision are the common type of accidents we see. Whether it’s a car to car or car to bike or any other vehicle, the head-on collisions are the worst and one of the common accidents when we see the records.
As I have said it earlier, it is one of the highest cases in the world, and now let's think why it is highest?
Government and Companies
Let's start with the government’s approach and companies’ policies, and how their decisions are resulting in high death rates by the collision.
When an automobile is made in any country or imported to another, they have to pass a minimum safety test fixed for them and, it is good as because of which driving on roads feels safe, but in India, the minimum safety required is really low.
The U.K.-based non-profit Global NCAP, which studies the quality of vehicles has given many cars a ‘0’ rating which includes Renault KWID, Maruti Suzuki Alto, and many more, still, they have passed the minimum safety requirement in here, or don’t know if they had any.
The same cars in world market also have a 3-star rating, and why, I will tell you later when we come to drivers and buyers attitude in this article. Because of so low standard requirement, there are many more companies which reduce the safety features when they are launching their automobiles in India as they are cutting their cost.
Next, I would like to draw your attention towards the attitude of Govt. and their approach towards public roads. Statistics says, this year, the number of deaths occurred due to potholes have increased by 50%.
Most of the victims are the bike riders, as it is very dangerous for them to ride in roads with lots of potholes and damages, especially in rainy season. The potholes don’t spare the cars as well, and it doesn’t cause deaths but it will damage your cars and hinder their performance in long run. The car running over the fallen bikers is another situation we see on roads.
The immediate reaction from governments on the pothole problem and road safety management will only help the people to avoid the unfortunate situations in future. There should be a permanent solution for these damaging roads, like in some states, the govt. are trying new plastic coating and mixing plastic waste in roads. It helps in sustaining the quality of the road even after heavy rain and other damages.
Indian Buyers/Drivers
When we consider the mindset of the Indian buyers, their approach towards their own safety can be or say it is one of the major reasons why the manufacturers don’t care about the safety features of the automobiles they create.
Indians do care about things like infotainment, interiors, mileage, looks any many more. But safety is far behind when we put the priority list, and, the attitude of Indians to look for the cheapest version in automobiles makes the company compromise safety for economic pricing of vehicles.
The blame game starts when something terrible happens, and the blaming list goes on from other drivers on road, manufacturers, govt and so on, not realizing their previous list is the real culprit.
The irony of the situation is that they knew about the lack of safety features and still, they don’t rectify or realize the main problem. Maybe India is one of the few countries where safety is an option in vehicles.
Need for Speed?
Speed is a tricky thing; you need it, but if it’s out of control, you may regret it. A car/bike is made with many hours and days of research and technology, but that all are to make the ride comfortable and safe for the passenger.
Seeking thrill and amazement in speed is not a bad thing and everybody should enjoy that feeling. But here is the statistics; most numbers of people who die in accidents are under 29 years of age. Youngsters always want to show off at every chance they get. Every vehicle has its own limits and, if you push the limits of that vehicle, it will break. Recently, I saw a signboard by traffic police that says; Speed Thrills But Kills, Drive Slow and Safe!
Your experience and talent don’t matter when you are on road, literally, anything can happen on road at any time. People who are used to drive slow and safely have died because of the negligence of vehicles coming opposite them.
Negligence is a major issue of these type of incidents, especially, incidents of using mobile phones while driving.
Another major blunder that people do is falling asleep while driving. Well, sleeping is not a crime, but, if you are in a car while sleeping, it’s a monstrous one. The only thing suitable to do in these conditions are:-
- Stop the car for a short nap, then continue driving.
- Give steering to the passenger for a while if stopping is not an option.
- If it is a long drive at night and, there’s gonna be a long way for next stop, and no one to drive, then halt in advance for a stay at some hotel or something.
One brilliant method you can try is; to put your finger in the choke valve like Mr. Bean does when he felt sleepy in the car, haha...just kidding, but you can try though.
Rebels and Drunkards
Another type of people who cause chaos on the road are those don’t like to follow rules and traffic signals. Those not only put their lives in danger but, put others lives in danger as well.
Jumping signals, driving in wrong directions and taking U-turns where they shouldn’t just to save time. Look, guys, if don’t care about anything while driving, just die alone, don’t kill others. Unfortunately, that’s not an option, everyone suffers when a road accident happens.
Stopping the car in narrow paths, in T junctions, in the middle of the road for silly reasons, turning your car all way back to pick up something you forgot on a busy road, while you could have just walked there and many more.
Another major problem we face is the drunkards on the road, and their exceptionally road skills while driving.
Losing control on high speed is different, but, losing control while you are drunk very dangerous as the person driving has no idea of his control on driving. The drunk person always thinks the vehicle is in full control and have no about how many got hit and how many gave him the cursing on the way. He only realizes it when he wakes up the next day at the police station.
Pedestrians who suffer
The last category in a collision is the pedestrians, and they are the most suffered ones. They are in huge number in cities and in almost every metropolitan cities. Actually, there are more pedestrians on road than vehicles.
The pedestrians got the first priority when it comes to the usage of roads. When a vehicle hits the pedestrian, in the majority of cases the drivers are caught in trouble.
We can’t totally blame the drivers on collision with pedestrians, as I have many incidents on TV, internet and experienced in real life the idiocy of people walking on the road.
Many of them forget where they are going and just walk straight to their destination without looking left and right. Always lost in their dream world or chatting with their friend walking by or on phone.
There are limitations on what the drivers and pedestrians can do to make the road a safe place, but, they can do by trying their best and following the rules and applying a little common sense.
One never completely learns driving, you will always have more situations and challenges on road every time you drive.
Delaying of Ambulance because of Traffic
It is something which really pisses me off. Yes, I can understand there is traffic and everyone is in hurry to reach their destination, but, is it that much important that you will let someone die?
Some might be thinking; how can I give way when I am stuck in traffic? People on left and right won't let me change the lane.
I would say; what bullshit! It happens when nobody bothers to give way when an ambulance comes to their path. It is a result of the joint resistance of drivers’ mind when stuck in traffic.
In India, there is a high rate of people who die even before reaching the hospital, who could have been saved, and people who die of heart attack, 50 % die in traffic. Just because people are not ready to give space for the ambulance, Many die every year.
They can hear the siren, they can see from the rearview mirror, but, won't give way to the ambulance.
Making the way for an ambulance is a collective effort of the vehicles on the road, and, if we keep on blaming others, the ambulance will be stuck there forever.
Patients Death due to Vehicle Breakdown
The last but, not of the least importance is vehicle breakdown.
Imagine you just got a call from the neighboring house that, the old grandpa suddenly got a heart attack and they need you to take the old chap to the hospital in your car. You take your car to their house and everyone with the patient gets in and you drove to the hospital. Then on the way in the middle of nowhere your car breaks down! Yeah, it breaks down, because you haven’t given your car for quarterly or yearly service and maintenance. Your car service has called you many times but you didn't bother to go there.
Well, it happens a lot, not just in case of emergencies, but, also on long drives when you get stuck in a place where there is no-one to help.
Finally, we have some statistics that show that in India, there are 17 accidents every hour. Chennai and Delhi are on top of the list.
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| Source: The Indian Express:- https://indianexpress.com/article/india/road-accidents-in-india-2016-17-deaths-on-roads-every-hour-chennai-and-delhi-most-dangerous-4837832/ |
These are some major issues which I think we should be concerned about and should take steps to improve our driving skills and habits.
If you think I have left anything important to say in this article, please comment down.
