New Delhi: In India, over 400 people were killed in road accidents every day in 2015 in road accidents, data submitted by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in the Rajya Sabha last week said. It also said that India is home to most dangerous roads in the world.
The Ministry informed the Rajya Sabha that 1,46,133 people were killed in road accidents in the country in 2015, compared to 1,39,671 deaths in 2014, a 4.6% rise over 2014.
Over the past one decade, more than 1.3 million people have been killed in road accidents in India. There is still no comprehensive road safety legislation in the country.
The data mentioned that the states with the highest number of road accidents in 2015 were Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. These states contribute 29.66% to the total number of accidents recorded nationwide. The same states also recorded the highest number of injuries at 2,75,873 in 2015.
The government has been taking several measures like increasing penalty for drunken driving, increasing penalty for unauthorized driving, making highways free of rail crossings to ensure safer roads.
The government has also asked the state governments and concerned authorities likes NHAI, PWDs and BRO to remove all speed breakers from highways to ensure smooth movement of traffic. According to the Road Accident Report (2014), published by the Ministry, 4,726 lives were lost in crashes due to humps while 6,672 people died in accidents caused due to potholes and speed breakers.
