[doga]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Well, that under-reporting would be a constant over the years, so the rise in fatality rate would certainly be statistically significant.

Well of course. The rise definitely is statistically significant. All I was trying to say was that the fatality per 100 accidents is not the true figure as many accidents may be going unreported. If you accept that figure as is it'd mean 1 out of 3 accidents are fatal which would be truly alarming.
The rise in this rate of course, as you say, sort of eliminates the unreported accidents. Although they certainly won't be constant but probably be rising at a similar rate of reported accidents.

[man_and_machine]

Bad road design comes under overspeeding. Each road has to have speed limit, its never, ever mentioned on the roads (only a few in a million have them). So when an accident occurs, that above that limit on that road (somewhere available in some file in some office) its bucketed that way.
Google has started to add speed limits in the app for frequently used road, if you check the numbers are so low, since the designers know that the road design if bad and hence they officially coverup by adding a low speed limit. If you were to really drive on that road at the recommended speed, surely you will be safe, but then you might never get to go where you want in any reasonable time.
Insurers have a more accurate data, since every accident costs them money, it costs the govt. nothing. Some of the data presented matches with the data with the insurers, reports (they are publicly available).
Road safety is still not people minds when they take out their cars, the feeling is usually someone else is the bad driver on the road.

[vennarbank]

I do not see a category, where the accident is due to pedestrian/ jay walkers carelessness. I am still seeing everyone driving without care about the speed limits. I am still seeing Kwids and Altos racing at 120kmph in the highways. People driving at good speed on the wrong side of roads on highways. Apart from mechanical failures, the rest are in the hands of the drivers and should have been avoided. Is there any realistic way to cure the people of this idiocy ? I am deeply worried.

[Contrapunto]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

That is a 17.8% increase in death rate y-o-y per 1000 vehicles plying on the road, which is shocking. .

Mind you, the previous year probably had lower road traffic due to COVID. Now that things are sort of "normal" the killer roads of India are back to form, breaking records.

[sathya_g_m]

While Rash driving and Driver error are predominant causes, we cannot rule out the pathetic condition of the roads as well.
I am not even talking about potholes and damaged road, even the best of highways are accident prone.
Sure, our highways are neatly laid (At least in TN) and lures to drive faster. However,
1) Cattle and Dogs roam freely on the road; they pop out of nowhere.
2) Almost all highways were once deserted now full of roadside eateries which makes people roam near highways
3) Most highways run thru villages (or) suburbs aka bypass. Locals find it hard to roam few kilometers to take u turn to reach a place where they used to reach in a blink of eye. Driving in wrong lane causes many accidents.
4) No protection on the side of the road to prevent people from entering high way at any point.

While most of the above are solvable for western countries, in India we cannot do it simply because of the population and diversity. We need to considerate about our fellow citizens and cattle/dogs too.

All we can do is restrict speed, follow lane discipline and heafty fine including revoking license for repeat offenders. To be frank, if this is enforced for a month, we could reduce the national debt itself considerably ��.

[TwistOfFate!]

Wow! This is such an eyeopener in so many ways. There's a dialog from a movie which translates more or less as "An accident doesn't mean a person falling on the road, but an entire family falling onto the roads".


Was just trying to reason out the road accidents in India and this is the top stuff I could think

1. NCAP ratings: These are strictly for speeds up to 64 kmph. Important that an average citizen understand this. Advertisements should SHOUT this point out.

2. Road conditions: After driving on EU roads, I understood how pathetic our tolled highways are, let alone non-tolled highways, state highways and city/rural roads. So many undulations, patch worked roads, unmarked speed-breakers, rumble strips, ditches, potholes, medians.. The list continues..

3. Speed limits: Ensure to have standard speed limits across the country based on the type of roads and most importantly spend money to advertise/educate citizens about these limits. Worse case, hard cap speed limits on passenger vehicles to 120kmph - our roads are definitely not worthy of higher speeds.

National Highways: 120 kmph
State Highways: 80 kmph
City Roads: 50 kmph
Rural: 30 kmph
City/Rural Streets: 20 kmph

4. All-round Infrastructure: Improve pedestrians' safety, ensure zero encroachments on roads, railings to avoid human/cattle menace on city/highways respectively, properly functioning traffic signals, vehicles with working headlamps, taillights, side turn indicators, etc.

I know this list is never ending, but in this day and age, people succumbing to road accidents is extremely poor state of affairs on both Govt. and Citizen's end. Hope to see things improve. And I pledge on this forum to do my bit extremely diligently as an educated citizen of this country.

Thanks!

[clementw]

Not surprising to see Tamilnadu high up in the list of accidents. Just today two motorcyclists jumped the red light before me in two signals forcing me to slam my brakes and take evasive action. If I had reacted late those two would have added to the statistic. People are careless, reckless and don't care for the rules. The overburdened traffic cops turn a blind eye till something happens. Unless we have stricter penalties and steeper fines which are enforced these things will contine.

[RGK]

Originally Posted by sathya_g_m

Sure, our highways are neatly laid (At least in TN) and lures to drive faster

The non-standard width of the road contributes to the fundamental instinct to drive quickly. The speed of the traffic typically stays constant if the road's width is constant and standard.

Speed increases when the road is broader and drops when the breadth is reduced. Due to barricades, speed breakers (in KA), unlawful parking on the sides, etc., the same situation occurs on highways.

[amitkumarsi]

This year I drove through the highways of Maharastra, Karnataka and West Bengal. My observations were

1) In Karnataka the highways were insulated from the cities, towns and villages. I hardly saw 3 wheelers or local vehicles on the highway. The well maintained and designed roads just felt safe to drive.
2) in Maharashtra, the towns and villages are next to the highways, which means you have a lot of local vehicles pouring onto the highway. Navi-Mumbai Pune is an exception.
3) In West Bengal (Digha Kolkata stretch) I can't fathom how can they designate those roads as highways. You have cycle rickshaws, 3 wheelers, cycles, motorcycle rickshaws all coming over a stretch designated as 80 KM speed limit. Highways turn into single lane roads dotted with shops spilling onto the roads. it's an absolute nightmare.

Having said that, it seems the roads are getting better. Companies have taken cognisance of safety and now that reflects clearly into the advertising.

However the one thing that hasn't changed at all is our cavalier attitude towards traffic sense. Drivers don't seem to realise the power they command behind the steering wheel of nearly 1000 cc vehicles. Pedestrians, cyclists, two wheelers - I cannot even comprehend what they think when they are on the roads. Probably they think that their safety is the other person's responsibility.

P.S. In 2019 Pune was infamous for protests led by politicians and people alike against fining people for not wearing helmets

[GeeTee TSI]

Sometimes, I feel the true (root) cause of the accident gets buried under a proclamation made as 'speeding'

But speed limits in our country are a joke much as I want to follow them. We end up going with the median speed of traffic; than resolutely follow prescribed limits and risk getting honked, bullied (or worse, rear ended). Make EVERYONE stay within prescribed limits than let each apply one's own judgement of 'safe' speed for a particular stretch

[Arun Varma]

Reckless driving + poorly used / driven vehicles + road users unwilling to follow / uneducated in road etiquette + unregulated cattle and other beasties making free use of the roads + poorly lit / laid roads = Unmitigated disaster!

Simple (but not easy) solutions we can adopt as vehicle users in an influential forum as Team BHP.

No member should drive/ride more than the prescribed speed limit - whatever it may be
No member should drive/ride under the influence of alcohol / drugs
All members should wear appropriate safety gear and follow appropriate safety protocols
All members should follow road rules diligently

No excuses or arguments on the above!

Will it eliminate deaths / injuries - no
Does it negate the need for better road infrastructure / laws / enforcement - no
Is it a wildly ambitious, naive, and almost impossible task - probably
Will it offend the enthusiasts - most certainly
Am I high on some good quality stuff - can't say

Considering the every life is invaluable to at least someone, least we can strive for.

[KGS]

The biggest reason of accidents are careless driving and careless attitude of public while crossing roads.

We (I am using "We" here intentionally to include the general trend) are happy to own a land next to Highways. We are proud to build Houses and apartments there and show-off, we live next to this highway. No need to go on internal roads. Just use this highway, drive on the wrong side for 1 km and you will reach our house.

We cross highways so casually as if we are walking in the park. I have personally seen people crossing highways as if moon walking with their animals. No need to pay any attention to a truck or a Cab coming your way at 100 kmph.

Animals are left to wander anywhere they want. Buffaloes and dark nights are deadly combinations.

Two wheelers zig zagging in the dense traffic to save 25 microseconds.

Cabs and 4 wheelers tailgating a truck or another car at highway speeds.


On top of all this, When I was in India recently on a recently made Outer Ring road of a city, I saw a Zebra crossing. Logic died a very painful death.

With all these situations, our population at large is still driving / riding and surviving is a miracle.

[turbodude]

Not at all surprising. Rather than focusing on the accidents, I will list out few instances here, which can be termed as root causes for fatalities:

- RTO laziness for permanent license tests -> You can easily get a 2 wheeler & 4 wheeler license, no strict exams just need to hire an agent
- No Police Patrol -> I rarely see beat marshals now a days and even if some police car is around they are not interested in checking anyone who breaks rules
- Expired licenses -> One of my acquaintance drives with an expired license since 2018, has never been caught even once
- Heavy vehicles driving in top lane -> Other vehicles struggle to drive in the left lane which is occupied by everything including road side stalls
- No speed limits -> People driving cars with 60 kmph speed in city lanes is something needs to be stopped immediately
- Underage driving -> Young people have no fear of law and if someone is son/daughter of a politician or powerful government officer then they drive like crazy
- Dumb parents -> This one is serious. In our building there is a family of 4 and they all go out daily on Activa, 2 adults & 2 children of 10+ age, no helmet on any of them. I can't imagine how the children will drive when they will grow up.
- Wrong side drivers -> If we can take a headcount, their population might cross an entire nation's population in Europe. Total idiots and they belong to all age groups and all genders. Totally shameless and pathetic people

Post is becoming too long so stopping here but not before mentioning the last ones, lane cutters. Lane cutting is so rampant that most of the accidents are caused by them if we see camera footage.

Thanks for bringing out this topic here, needs a lot of discussion and awareness

[saisree]

Originally Posted by TusharK

As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 4,22,659 accidents were recorded in the country in 2021 as compared to 3,68,828 in the previous year. These included 4,03,116 road accidents, which caused 1,55,622 fatalities – a 16.8% increase over 2020.

And we said Nation is under lockdown. we need more education on driving ethics and more AD's on TV/ Theaters just like Tobacco AD's.

[dijkstra]

Here's a quote from groww.in on Aug 2022 auto sells:

Maruti Suzuki

Total sales in August stood at 1,65,173 units as compared to 1,30,699 units in the year ago period.

Domestic sales saw a rise from 1,10,080 units to 1,43,692 units.

Tata Motors

Sales grew by 36% year-on-year to 78,843 units. Domestic sales jumped 41%.

Mahindra & Mahindra

Sold 59,049 units during the month as compared to 30,585 units.

Eicher Motors

Sold a total of 70,112 motorcycles (Royal Enfield) - a 53% year-on-year rise.

Ashok Leyland

Sales rose by 51% year-on-year to 14,121 units.

My guess is with better road infra, we'll actually have more fatalities - at least in the initial years. With lacklustre driver training, lax license rules, flouted insurance norms - you have a class of drivers that have no respect for speed, life and property. With more expendable income in the hands of the recently-made-upper-middle-income-class, increased demand would cause further erosion of whatever adherence of rules were there. The gov has put high priority on the road infra building but not much on the infra+human resource needed to regulate and enforce legal driving.

Separately, Indian roads are far from world-class - with humans and their cattle roaming about on a national highway, to 30kmph zones in between 120kmph zones, to moon-like craters on an expressway - drivers in India have to face it all.

The statistics are even more sobering given that only a fraction of accidents are actually formally reported. We have a long way to go to have safer roads and I believe this has to begin with investments in driver training, driver evaluation and stricter licence rules.