You May Not Want To Be a Pedestrian In Tamil Nadu: State Reports Maximum Fatalities Followed By Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra

Shocking revelations from government data shows pedestrian fatalities shooting up from 12,330 in 2014 to 20,457 in 2017, reported The Times of India.

The report says that almost 56 persons die a day, despite government efforts to ensure road safety. Two wheelers and cyclists are also as vulnerable as the pedestrians, as seen via data which states that 133 two-wheelers, and ten cyclists were killed in accidents in 2017.

With 3,705 deaths, Tamil Nadu came first followed by Maharashtra with 1,831 and Andhra Pradesh 1379 pedestrian deaths. This also holds true for two-wheeler accidents where Tamil Nadu stood first at 6,329 followed by Uttar Pradesh(5,699) and Maharashtra (4,659).

There were reports stating that designated footpaths are encroached by parked vehicles and shops, forcing the pedestrians to walk on roads.

International Road Federation’s KK Kapila told TOI that the trend of pedestrians, two-wheeler users and cyclists getting killed is the same across all southeast Asian countries. She added that solutions are needed to solve the problem of making roads safer for the vulnerable road users and that these road users need to be segregated from other vehicles to decrease conflicts.

The Centre, aimed at minimising road fatalities, has made it mandatory for all two-wheeler models to have anti-lock braking system (ABS) from April 2019. The system enhances control over the vehicle and reduces stopping distances on dry as well as slippery surfaces.