Thiruvananthapuram: As many as 23,512 people lost their lives in road accidents in Kerala between 2017 and 2022, data shows. Road accidents are claiming 12 to 15 lives a day and around 70 percent are youngsters. This is despite the government’s sensitisation campaigns and spendings worth crores for ensuring safety on roads.
| YEAR | DEATHS |
| 2017 | 4,131 |
| 2018 | 4,303 |
| 2019 | 4,440 |
| 2020 | 2,979 |
| 2021 | 3,429 |
| 2022 | 4,230 |
In 2018, the government decided to reduce road accidents by half by 2020. Rs 127 crore was spent on it. Only during the pandemic year 2020-21, the number of people who died in road accidents was less than 4,000. One of the concerning facts from last year is that 26 percent of total deaths happened to pedestrians.
The statistics are back in the limelight as the Kerala High Court recently pulled up the authorities over repeated road accidents, even in zebra crossings.
The three major reasons for road accidents are unscientific training given to driving license aspirants, rash and negligent driving and poor road safety. The public, government and officials have equal roles to play to resolve the issue.
Published: 12 Feb 2023, 07:08 am IST
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