Editorial: High road to disaster

The report on road accidents in India for the year 2023 has revealed some startling facts indicating that the multi-pronged efforts to reduce accidents and fatalities are not yielding the desired results. A 4.2% increase in the number of road accidents, which totalled 4.8 lakh, is a major cause of concern. The break-up of accidents (55 an hour) and fatalities (20 an hour) is alarming. The aggregate numbers for the year were 1.73 lakh deaths and 4.63 lakh injuries across the country. In the past, there have been years when the number of accidents decreased, but the fatalities increased. Governments should therefore work full throttle to reduce both the number of accidents and fatalities.

The national and state highways are veritable danger zones when it comes to accidents. Between them, they account for nearly 60% of the total number of accidents. The central and state governments need to address the issue forthwith. Infrastructure deficiencies — roads badly designed and maintained — result in serious accidents and higher casualties. That the toll roads are punctuated by potholes of varying dimensions doesn’t reflect well on the authorities and their administration capabilities. The government often appears to be incapable of building well-designed, high-quality roads with proper signage and markings. As is well known, there is a high level of corruption in road construction involving politicians, engineers, and contractors, and the government has not been able to fix it despite claims to the contrary.

Experts have been taking pains to explain that building quality highways is one thing, which often fails due to corruption, and putting in place the systems and processes relating to vehicle design and safety on highways is an altogether different challenge that requires not only engineering talent and production capabilities but also governance and enforcement mechanisms. Otherwise, one will have to risk life and limb to drive vehicles that cruise at higher speeds on badly laid and poorly maintained highways.

Though in principle the government says that a multi-pronged approach is needed involving engineering of roads and vehicles on the one hand and education of users, enforcement of rules by authorities, and emergency care in case of accidents, it tends to put the onus on the user, who no doubt is to be blamed partly. Here again, the statistics show that 66.5% of fatalities involve younger adults (18-45 years) who are often neither properly trained in driving nor were they given the right safety education. Secondly, speeding was a major killer, accounting for 68.1 per cent of the persons killed. Studies have shown how advertisements that glorify speed and reckless driving have some bearing on how people drive vehicles. Thus, younger people ride super fast, powerful bikes and cars, which are either not suitable or inappropriate for certain types of roads, road conditions, and traffic densities. A convergence of poor and corrupt governance, unethical corporate practices, and reckless user behaviour results in loss of lives of innocent persons and often financial ruin. Many times, influential people escape punishment as the lower courts tend to be lenient. More importantly, the government bodies are not held responsible for the poor construction and maintenance of roads, which become hazardous.

Since Tamil Nadu has recorded the highest number of road accidents on National Highways in 2023, the state government should chalk out and implement new strategies and evidence-based plans to put the brakes on the trend.