Times View

KOLKATA: The city has managed to significantly bring down the number of accidents -both fatal and non-fatal -in 2016 in comparison with the previous year.The launch of the Safe Drive Save Life campaign, coupled with strict enforcement of speed rules in the city seem to have made the difference, claim top Lalbazar officers.According to the latest road accident report -based on leading cities of India -prepared by the Union ministry of road transport and highways, 2016 witnessed 388 fatal accidents on Kolkata's streets. There were 421 fatal accidents in 2015 and 431in 2014.In 2016, 407 people lost their lives in road accidents. Not only did the number of fatal accidents fall by 7.8% but also the total figure of non-fatal accidents dropped by a substantial 18%.A comparison with other cities will put things into perspective. In 2016, Delhi saw 1,591 people dying on roads and Chennai witnessed 1,183 deaths. Mumbai, however, has performed better on nonfatal accidents than Kolkata.DC (Traffic) Solomon V Nesakumar said they were hoping for even better performance in 2017. “Since 2014, Kolkata has witnessed 25 to 30 deaths every month. However, after we introduced the compoundable traffic offences in August and put up speed guns across the city, we have recorded just 17 fatal accidents in August,“ said Solomon.Similarly, there were a total of 4104 accidents in the city in 2016 compared to 4981 in 2015. The severity of accidents (number of persons killed per 100 accidents) is at an all-time low of 9.9, much lesser than Mumbai (16.6) or Delhi (21.6).The national average is 19.8.Between July 8 and December 31, 2016 -after the safety drive was launched on July 8 -32 helmetless bikers and pillion riders died on city roads. The figure during the corresponding period in 2015 stood at at 61.During the drive, a total of in the city, in which 195 people were killed. 55 among the dead were bikers and pillion riders.The same period also saw deaths of 95 pedestrians.The corresponding period in 2015 saw 216 accidents, in which 220 people died. 72 among them were bikers with and without helmets.Certain areas remain a concern for the Kolkata Police. Unlike Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad, where most accidents took place from 3pm to 9pm, Kolkata registered maximum collisions after the rush hours , generally when trucks are allowed into the city after 10pm.The situation has become better, significantly in some areas. This, in all probability, indicates some amount of success for the police's “Safe Drive Save Life“ campaign. Authorities now need to ensure this drive does not lose its momentum.