By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 5 Nov: Social activist Anoop Nautiyal today observed that there is one road accident death in the state every 8 hours on an average basis. Commenting that the death of 36 people in yet another tragic road accident in Uttarakhand is heartbreaking, he reminded that the state continues to lose nearly 1,000 lives every year, which roughly translates to one road accident death every 8 hours. He also pointed out that the number of injuries is significantly higher than the number of fatalities.
Nautiyal stated that it is also important to highlight that the accident severity rate, defined as the ‘number of deaths per 100 accidents’, is significantly higher in Uttarakhand as compared to the national average. According to the latest data available on the website of the State Transport Department for the period 2018 to 2022, the accident severity rate in the state has ranged from a high of 71.3 in 2018 to a low of 58.36 in 2021. Alarmingly, the accident severity rate is more than double the national average.
He further claimed that no state government has seriously addressed the issue of road accidents in Uttarakhand. Suspending lower-level officials, as seen in the case of the recent Almora accident, is a knee-jerk, immature decision meant only to manage headlines. The social activist asserted that the state will continue to lose more lives unless the state government and its various departments work earnestly on the principles of the 4Es: Engineering, Emergency Care, Enforcement, and Education. There is an urgent need to educate and raise awareness about road safety among all drivers. He however also conceded that developing a culture of road safety is a herculean task that requires concerted efforts from all departments and stakeholders; it cannot be the responsibility of the police alone.
