ALAPPUZHA: Despite the strong traffic rules and highway patrolling, 11 motorists die on roads every day in the state. The latest statistics from the State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) shows 1,330 deaths and 14,303 injured in the first quarter of this year in 12,938 accidents. The roads continue to be death traps, and it shows poor facilities and failure of implementing traffic rules, though authorities are making attempts to expedite the widening of national highways.
Last year, there were 4,287 deaths while 44,108 people injured from 39,420 accidents - a sharp rise in deaths from just 2,674 in 2001. Police chief Loknath Behra had in October issued an executive directive to district police chiefs to implement a slew of measures to check rash and negligent driving, driving under the influence of alcohol and overspeeding. But it appears to have not yielded. Two-wheeler riders are worst with 19,648 of them involved in accidents followed by 9,270 motor cars, 4,117 auto-rickshaws, 2,559 private state carriers, 2,300 lorries, 940 state buses, 368 mini-buses and 670 jeeps.
Tomy Cyriac, project director, Rapid Rail Transit System (Suburban Rail Project) and former scientist with National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (Natpac), blames it on increasing vehicle population. “There is no adequate road facility in proportion to vehicles. In addition to this, there is a tendency of high speed driving as conditions of roads in the state is smooth in almost all places," he said. Last year, the cause for accidents in 32,055 cases were rash driving. Accidents from drunk driving were 182 and others 851.
