Road accident fatalities in TN decline by 14 pc

In 2019, as many as 10,525 persons were killed in road accidents. The number was 12,216 in 2018. It registered a drop of 13.64 per cent in 2019. On average, more than 28 people were killed in road accidents in the State daily.

According to transport department sources, the number of road accidents in 2019 came down to 57,228 from 63,920 in 2018. Besides, the number of persons injured in the accidents has also declined by more than 9 per cent -- from 68,538 in 2018 to 62,261 in 2019.

Despite the decline in road accident fatalities, the State could not achieve the target to reduce the deaths to 9,182 and total accidents to 49,080 as per the Sustainable Development Goal on Road Safety for the year 2019.

A senior transport department official said that the state has been able to reduce the road accident fatalities since 2017 with continuous road safety measures and the strict enforcement of traffic regulations by the transport and the police departments. “Most accidents happen due to violation of traffic rules and regulations by the motorists. Motorists failing to wear helmets while riding two-wheelers and fasten seat belts while driving four-wheelers face the risk of sustaining serious injuries during accidents. It is common to find people chatting on their mobile phones while driving. This increases the risk of accident many times,” the official said, adding that strict enforcement of traffic rules and road safety awareness campaigns have helped reduce road accidents as well as fatalities.

After the fatalities rose by 10 per cent in 2016, the number of fatalities involving road accidents have come down subsequently year by year. In 2017, the fatalities came down by 6 per cent to 16,157 from 17,218 in 2016. The fatalities in 2018 declined sharply by 24 per cent to 12,216.