Road accidents - www.urbancookie.com

Road Accidents - Dangerous driving habits of Chennai drivers

Each year as large number of new vehicles are being added to Chennai's roads, there is an increased issue of driving licenses as drivers both full & part time are in good demand. Its also seen as an easy income opportunity for many uneducated and unemployed youth.

However there is a downside to this exploding vehicle population,The traffic on Chennai roads has become a nightmare to many motorists & pedestrians alike. There has been a steep rise in fatal accidents. According to National Crime Records Bureau (2006 fugures) Tamil Nadu has the dubious distinction of having the maximum accidents (14%) in the country along with Maharastra (12.4%).

(A luxury car in the extreme right of the road with blatant disregard for oncoming motorists - Independence day park signal, Nungambakkam)

Some speedy statistics:

India has less than 1% of world vehicle population but accounts for 10% of the worlds road accidents.
Road accidents in 2006 - 2,00,000 people dead & 1,00,000 seriously injured.
India loses 3 percent of its GDP per annum due to road accidents
70 percent of road accidents take away the main wage earner
Road accidents in India claim more victims than communicable diseases AIDS,TB & Malaria combined.
44% of road deaths in Tamil Nadu are Two wheeler riders & pillion riders (including cyclists)

This shocking figure is a national disaster & to think it may not be even actual, as we know many accidents go un-reported & numbers conveniently wiped off from the official figure.

Though bad infrastructure, poor roads & un-regulated traffic may be blamed as some of the reasons for such high rate of accidents, Many experts feel its more of an attitudinal problem. A safe driver is considered a poor driver with a timid personality, breaking the rule is more of a norm than an exception. This blatant disregard for safety norms & lack of concern for fellow motorists has to change. Its only when someone is personally affected that they seem to pay attention.

Proper training of drivers is also very important, issuing licenses to poorly trained drivers compounds to traffic violations. The corruption in RTO's are root cause of this problem. Many drivers who come for a job from small towns & villages are also not familiar with road traffic regulations in major metro's. Road signs & directions need to be in languages they can understand. Education alone is not the answer as well educated drivers & VIP cars violate traffic rules with impunity.

The state government and enforcement authorities need to address this problem drastically & urgently. They need to crack down on errant drivers and regulate traffic more effectively. The courts also need to increase conviction rates of errant drivers. As of now only 10% of errant drivers get punished. The roads need to be made & safer for our Children & loved ones.

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