Taking note of road deaths in India

In terms of absolute numbers more people die in road crashes in India than anywhere else in the world

Vidya Krishnan
Updated18 Sep 2013, 02:33 PM IST
As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in the year 2011 there were 440,123 road accidents resulting in the death of 136,834 people. Photo: Hindustan Times <br />
As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in the year 2011 there were 440,123 road accidents resulting in the death of 136,834 people. Photo: Hindustan Times (Hindustan Times )

On 26 August, I lost someone dear to me in a hit-and-run accident. My friend Ali Naqvi was crossing a busy intersection in South Delhi when a car sideswept him and a second car hit him, leaving him with injuries that proved to be fatal. Fifteen minutes after the accident, a passerby took him to hospital, but it was too late.

add_main_imagePeople who knew Ali personally will miss him. But some facts about his death should worry you even if you didn’t know him. Ali died a five-minute ride away from the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and yet was not taken there in time to give him a fighting chance of survival. The 15 minutes that it took to bring him to hospital had caused irreparable brain damage, the doctor said. As a rule, the brain can go without oxygen for three to six minutes before damage sets in.

More facts: India accounts for about 10% of road crash fatalities worldwide. In terms of absolute numbers more people die in road crashes in India than anywhere else in the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the death rate per 100,000 populations for road traffic accident has increased from 16.8 in 2009 to 18.9 in 2013. NextMAds

This estimate is much higher than the rate in high income countries (8.7 per 100,000) and middle-income neighbouring countries like. Indonesia (17.7), Pakistan (17.4), Nepal (16), Myanmar (15), Sri Lanka (13.7), Bhutan (13.2), Mauritius (12.2) and Bangladesh (11.6).

As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in the year 2011 there were 440,123 road accidents resulting in the death of 136,834 people. The incidence of accidental deaths increased by 44.2% in 2011 from 2001. This figure translates into one death every five minutes on Indian roads and is expected to escalate to one death every three minutes by 2020.

If these numbers mean nothing to you, consider this. Most victims are left to die on the streets even when hospitals are close by. While there is no denying that the general apathy of people makes matters worse, this is essentially a problem of unresponsive governance. Have we, the people, accepted living in a system that is designed to fail us in any and every emergency? When our cities are known to be pedestrian-unfriendly and jaywalking is a socially accepted norm, the least the government can do is to be prepared.

In 2007, the Centralized Accident and Trauma Services (CATS) informed the Delhi high court that it would increase its ambulance fleet to 450 by 2008. As a part of the Commonwealth Games ‘legacy’, Delhi chief minister Shiela Dikshit’s government had promised to introduce a fleet of 150 ambulances—an advanced life support (ALS), basic life support (BLS) and a first responder vehicle for each district in Delhi.

The ALS team can perform basic emergency procedures and even deliver babies in the ambulance. The BLS ambulance can stabilize and transport the patient to the hospital while the first responder vehicle is a bike-mounted paramedic, who can reached congested areas and provide medical assistance.

As of now, CATS has a fleet of 101 ambulances (21 ALS, 10, BLS and 70 Maruti Eeco care ambulances) for nearly 17 million people who live in Delhi, as per the 2011 census. Most of these ambulances can, at best, be described as patient transport vehicles. sixthMAds

For long, public health experts have maintained that unless demand for better health services in general and emergency medical response in particular becomes more vocal, the status quo will remain.

Ali’s death, while tragic, is just a statistic for NCRB. It is neither the first nor the last of such accidents. The real tragedy, however, is that as a city we have accepted that if our loved ones return home every night, we have just had a lucky day. The thing with luck is that it eventually runs out.

Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.

MoreLess
First Published:18 Sep 2013, 02:33 PM IST
Business NewsOpinionOnline ViewsTaking note of road deaths in India

Get Instant Loan up to ₹10 Lakh!

  • Employment Type

    Most Active Stocks

    NTPC share price

    392.45
    03:59 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    -5.25 (-1.32%)

    Tata Motors share price

    804.75
    03:59 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    -0.95 (-0.12%)

    ICICI Bank share price

    1,269.15
    03:58 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    9.8 (0.78%)

    Tata Steel share price

    144.95
    03:42 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    -2.6 (-1.76%)
    More Active Stocks

    Market Snapshot

    • Top Gainers
    • Top Losers
    • 52 Week High

    Wipro share price

    572.25
    03:59 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    3.4 (0.6%)

    Federal Bank share price

    207.75
    03:51 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    1 (0.48%)

    Indian Hotels Company share price

    729.45
    03:59 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    -3.6 (-0.49%)

    Page Industries share price

    47,349.95
    03:29 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    -637.85 (-1.33%)
    More from 52 Week High

    Asian Paints share price

    2,542.65
    03:44 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    -226.6 (-8.18%)

    CE Info Systems share price

    1,890.15
    03:53 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    -165.65 (-8.06%)

    UPL share price

    515.10
    03:47 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    -42.5 (-7.62%)

    Aarti Industries share price

    439.55
    03:58 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    -35.2 (-7.41%)
    More from Top Losers

    Biocon share price

    348.85
    03:58 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    27.6 (8.59%)

    Borosil Renewables share price

    503.10
    03:40 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    37.5 (8.05%)

    ITI share price

    327.40
    03:59 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    23.8 (7.84%)

    Power Finance Corp share price

    481.60
    03:58 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    32.15 (7.15%)
    More from Top Gainers

    Recommended For You

      More Recommendations

      Gold Prices

      • 24K
      • 22K
      Bangalore
      78,775.00-600.00
      Chennai
      78,781.00-600.00
      Delhi
      78,933.00-600.00
      Kolkata
      78,785.00-600.00

      Fuel Price

      • Petrol
      • Diesel
      Bangalore
      102.92/L0.00
      Chennai
      100.80/L0.00
      Kolkata
      104.95/L0.00
      New Delhi
      94.77/L0.00

      Popular in Opinion

        HomeMarketsPremiumInstant LoanMint Shorts