Transport Ministry releases 2015 road accident data
According to the report 'Road accidents in India, 2015', released by Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, 500,000 road accidents occured last year. Rising from 489,400 in the previous year, there was an increase by 2.5% in the number of accidents. Articulating deep pain over incidental deaths, Gadkari said, "My heart fills with immense pain. This magnitude was not killed in wars, epidemics, and militancy."
Transport Minister's reaction
While releasing the report, Gadkari said, "I'm ashamed to say that despite several measures being taken by the government, the accidents and fatalities in the country are rising. There is an urgent need for people to learn responsible driving in the country."
Road accidents: 2014 v/s 2015
501,423 road accidents occurred in India in 2015, as compared to 489,400 in 2014. 29.1 people per 100 died in the accidents in 2015, compared to 28.5 in 2014. Number of people injured in the accidents was 500,279 in 2015 and 493,474 in 2014. 146,133 people were killied in road accidents in India in 2015, a 4.6% rise over 2014, when 139,671 people died.
Daily basis
The number of deaths reported in the 2015 road accident data of India (146,133), signify that road accidents claim 400 lives in India each day which means that each hour, India sees 57 accidents resulting in loss of 17 lives.
State and city-wise accident data
In 2015, Mumbai accounted for 23,468 accidents with 611 deaths. Delhi saw 8,085 accidents and 1,622 road deaths. With 69,059 accidents, Tamil Nadu was witness to the largest number of accidents and with TN, 12 other states reported 86.7% road accidents across the country. Second highest number of accidents was witnessed by Maharashtra at 63,805. UP stood highest in accident-related deaths with 17,666 deaths.
Curbing road deaths
The Road Transport and Highway Ministry plans to install speed guns on national highways in an attempt to curb the menace of speeding on highways. Advanced ambulances, with vehicle-cutting equipment for the immediate rescue of accident victims, will also be deployed. The government also plans to install crash barriers along all hill roads to prevent vehicles from falling off the road.
Black Spots
On the basis of details of the accidents, the road transport department identified what they call 'black spots'. These are the spots on roads where recurring accidents take place - mostly due to faulty road designs. 726 such spots have already been identified all over the country.
