Shocking! 6 two-wheeler riders die every hour in India

In a shocking report released by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways', the number of road accidents involving two-wheeler riders witnessed rapid growth in 2019. According to the report published in October this year, more than 37% of those killed in road accidents in 2019 were two-wheeler riders.

Together, two-wheelers and pedestrians account for 54% of accident-related deaths in India and are the most vulnerable category in line with global trends, according to the ministry report. While 37% road accident deaths or six every hour, on average--involved two-wheelers, pedestrians made up 17% and cyclists 3%. There were 449,002 road accidents leading to 151,113 deaths, making Indian roads the deadliest in the world, the report noted. India accounts for 11% of the global road accident fatalities.

What are the reasons?

Poor licensing laws, little training

Road infrastructure

Driving on the wrong side

Vehicle design

Riding without helmets

Road accidents involving drivers without a valid driving license increased from 37,585 in 2018 to 44,358 in 2019, an increase of 18%, and accounted for 9.9% of the total accidents, the transport ministry data showed. The ministry data also revealed that about 72% of road accidents involved drivers holding a valid driver license.

On national highways, on average, driving on the wrong side of the road caused 5.2% and drunken driving led to 3.7% of the accidents, according to the government report.

Not wearing helmets resulted in deaths of 44,666 (30,148 drivers and 14,518 pillions) or 29.82% of total road accident fatalities during 2019, according to the ministry data.

According to World Health Organization report, more crashes and deaths are resulting from faulty licensing laws, no training, poor roads and unsafe helmets. WHO in its report emphasised that correct helmet use could reduce the risk of fatal injuries by 42% and head injuries by 69%.

According to the experts, India needs stricter licensing laws and must ensure use of proper helmets through effective communication and fines. Mandatory and proper training for riding and handling two-wheelers is a must, as is an overall improvement in road infrastructure. Also, India must bolster public transport in order to reduce traffic.