Chennai: South India leads in the number of road accidents and the country has lost more youth to road accidÂents than to any other calÂamity, say office-bearers of Automobile AssocÂiaÂtiÂon of South India (AASI).
India accounts for arÂound 10 per cent of global road accidents and people in between the age group of 15-40 years account for 60 per cent of these accidents, with more than 1 lakh lives lost due to road accidents annually, said Mr T.D. Sadasivam, president, AAÂSI, during an inÂteÂractive session on road safety heÂld here on SatuÂrday.
He added that it is estimated that Indians spend around 10-12 per cent of our lifetime on roads, and with the rise in the number of vehicles everyday this is bound to increase in the coming years.
He added, “Ironically, deÂvÂeloped countries with more vehicles have seen a drop in the rate of accidents while road accideÂnÂts are a growing concern in developing countries.”
AASI has won a grant from the Fédération InterÂnationale de l'AutÂomobile located in Paris early this year and this has been used to create educational films on road safety and also to sensitise people on the need for responsible behaviour on the roads.
The films were produÂced by Kavithalayaa ProÂductions, and its executive director KandaÂswÂamy Bharathan says “GiÂven the power of the meÂdium of films, we looÂked at how we could educate the road users to modify their behaviour through imÂpÂactful messaging.” The films will be formally released on JaÂnuÂary 7.
