Rise In Road Accidents- A Factor of Chaos in Family, Society
Roads are the life path of the people, but the path of life is turning into the path of death nowadays. Three days ago, a drunk factory owner ran over nine people in a crowded market in Jaipur, killing three of them and injuring six others. New Delhi: Six people were killed and two others were injured when a speeding BMW car rammed into them in Delhi's Old Rajendra Nagar, police said on Saturday. All these students are preparing for UPSC. Such incidents happen every day in metros and big cities.
Untimely deaths in road accidents not only result in the loss of lives of individuals, but also have a profound impact on the society and the economic condition of the country. Untimely, a person's life ends at the age when he is the main economic partner of the family. These types of deaths cause immense mental and economic damage to the families. According to economists, the value of deaths and losses due to accidents in road accidents is huge.
It not only leads to loss of human lives, but it also increases the expenditure on health care, treatment and rescue operations. In addition, accidents also lead to economic losses such as traffic delays, business losses and loss of productivity. However, efforts are being made at several levels by the Government of India and the State Governments to control these accidents. Since 2001, Road Safety Month is also being celebrated throughout the month of January, but these accidents are increasing instead of decreasing. There are 53 road accidents every hour in the country and one death every four minutes. According to a World Bank report, 1.3 million people died on Indian roads in the last decade and another 5 million were injured.
The increasing number of road accidents in India has become a cause of concern globally. Despite the National Road Safety Policy, there has been no reduction in the number of road accidents and deaths in India. The statistics of road accidents in the year 2022 were quite scary. According to the report, 4,23,158 people were injured in 4,46,768 road accidents and 1,71,100 people lost their lives. In the last few years, incidents of 'road rage' have increased in India. Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari presented the data before Parliament in March 2022. According to him, in the year 2019, more than 1.5 lakh cases of 'road rage' and negligent driving were reported in the country. In 2020, their number increased to one lakh 83 thousand. In the year 2021, the number of these cases increased further to two lakh 15 thousand.
Many times, traffic policemen themselves become victims of 'road rage'. Last year, a traffic constable in Mumbai signalled his driver to stop his vehicle despite a red light. Instead of stopping the car, the accused driver increased the speed. The constable standing in front of the vehicle fell on the bonnet. Still, the driver kept running the car for 2 kilometers. During this, the constable saved his life by holding the windshield of the vehicle firmly. If you understand road rage in easy language, then it means anger, rage or resentment due to small and big incidents on the road. Sometimes this anger takes over a person so much that he does not even care how much and to what extent he is harming other people walking on the road. Many times people lose their lives in road rage incidents. Drunk and reckless driving has been identified as a significant risk and factor in road accidents. Distracting reckless driving can include activities such as using mobile phones, eating and drinking, interacting with co-passengers, reading messages, watching videos, turning on the radio or music player, and even using GPS systems to navigate destinations. Although laws exist to prevent and punish reckless driving, it is very important to understand the strength of these laws in terms of injuries and deaths to all those who walk on the road.
In our country, even parents give their minor children to drive expensive cars. It is so difficult to get a driving license abroad that the youth have to take the test four times. The youth of India have not been able to learn driving sense till date. Look at the scene after the school holidays that every child rides a scooty as if he is flying in the air. It would be better if school children are taught driving sense so that they understand their responsibility when they are young. Parents should also fulfill their responsibility. Strictness is also necessary to follow road laws. Otherwise, people will continue to die on the streets. There are so many deaths on the streets that are not even due to terrorism and war.