Narendra Modi was gifted a bicycle by his Dutch counterpart during his recent visit to The Netherlands. Photo: Twitter/@narendramodi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned home today from his three-nation tour to Portugal, United States and the Netherlands.

Modi's last halt was at the Netherlands where his counterpart Mark Rutte gifted him a Dutch-made Bavatus bicycle .

In Netherlands, cycling is one of the preferred mode of transport for short-distance travel with office-goers too using it on a daily basis.

Knowing Indian roads, the question is if Narendra Modi will ever be able to ride the gifted bicycle in Delhi or any other big city.

Netherlands PM Mark Rutte gifted PM Modi a Dutch-made Bavatus bicycle. (Photo: Twitter/@narendramodi) Netherlands PM Mark Rutte gifted PM Modi a Dutch-made Bavatus bicycle. (Photo: Twitter/@narendramodi)

HOW SAFE ARE INDIAN ROADS

According to the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) data for 2015 released this year, of the total 4,96,762 traffic accidents reported during the year, 93.5 per cent of them, or 4,64,674, were road accidents.

Nearly 1.5 lakh people died in road accidents in 2015, reported the NCRB. When the numbers are broken down, it shows that 53 road accidents were reported every hour during 2015, wherein 17 people were killed.

Further, road accident fatalities increased by 5.1 per cent in 2015 over 2014 when 1,41,526 people were killed in road accidents.

As per the NCRB findings, maximum road accidents are caused by overspeeding and in 2015 it led to 60,969 deaths.

States that recorded maximum fatalities in road accidents in 2015 were Uttar Pradesh followed by Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.

Among cities, maximum road accidents were reported in Chennai, Delhi and Bengaluru. In Delhi alone, 1,316 people died due to road accidents in 2015.

WHY INDIAN ROADS ARE NOT SAFE

Overspeeding, as the NCRB figure shows, is one of the major reasons for maximum road accidents in the country.

Traffic police in the National Capital challaned nearly 37,000 motorists till May this year for overspeeding.

Last month, four students died after their car crashed into a divider and fell off the flyover in Delhi's Punjabi Bagh area.

Lack of awareness among motorists on road safety measures is another reason for the high fatality in road accidents.

Nearly 13 lakh bikers were challaned in 2016 for not wearing helmets and triple-riding.

Most roads in India don't have a designated cycle track or have a dysfunctional cycling track, putting cyclists at risk.

A recent audit by Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) found that the two busiest arterial roads in Delhi--Dwarka flyover and Sarita Vihar underpass--had cycle tracks that were dysfunctional. As a result, cyclists were forced to merge with the traffic on these two busy stretches.

CAN ROADS BECOME CYCLIST-FRIENDLY

According to a study by the Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Programme (TRIPP) and IIT Delhi, keeping adequate space for non-motorised modes of travel, like bicycles, on all roads is one way to encourage cycling.

Banning free left turns at all traffic signals will also give cyclists enough time to cross the road, the TRIPP-IIT Delhi study said.

Speed control in residential areas and better traffic monitoring can also help cyclists.

Creating more awareness on traffic safety norms and better enforcement of existing traffic rules will ensure roads are safe for motorists and cyclists.

Once these objectives are achieved, then Prime Minister Narendra Modi can hope to ride the bicycle that he brought home from the Netherlands.

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