Working Together to Save Lives

The District Road Safety Committee in Hailakandi is working with the public to script a success story in reducing road accidents

- Sabir Nishat

Road accidents are the leading cause of death among people between the ages of 5-29 worldwide, according to a World Health Organisation report. More than 1.35 million lives are lost each year and 50 million people sustain injuries. Globally, road accidents are the tenth leading cause of death. India accounts for about 5 lakh road accidents annually, one of the highest in the world, in which about 1.5 lakh people die and another 3 lakh become crippled. Around 71% of 4.49 lakh road accidents in India in 2019 were due to over speeding.

Road accidents cost India 3-5% of gross domestic product every year. Over a period of 24 years from 2014 to 2038, if India could halve the deaths and injuries due to road traffic, its GDP could increase by 7%, a 2018 World Bank report stated. India’s young, productive population, aged 18-45 years, is involved in 70% of road accidents, according to data from Road Accidents in India 2018, a report published by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. In 2018, India had 467,044 reported road accidents, an increase of 0.5% from 464,910 in 2017, according to the road ministry’s data.

India has 1% of the world’s vehicles but accounts for 6% of the world’s road traffic accidents, according to data from a 2018 World Health Organization report. As many as 73% of all deaths due to road traffic accidents in 2018 in the South and South-East Asia region happened in India, the report said. Road accidents are one of the 12 most common causes of deaths in India, the ninth most common cause of premature deaths, and the 10th most common reason for disability, according to the 2017 WHO Global Health Estimates. In 2018, of all road deaths, the most were of those riding two-wheelers (36%), followed by pedestrians (15%), ministry data shows.