Emphasis should be on strengthening road safety mechanisms at district and taluk levels : Health Vision Report

Karnataka ranks fourth in the country for number of fatal road crashes

Recommending a safe-systems approach for road safety in Karnataka, the State’s Health Vision report, 2021, has emphasised the need for defined action plans to achieve the 50% reduction of deaths as per the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and global road safety targets. Karnataka ranks fourth in the country for the number of fatal road crashes.

The report, which was released early this week, has noted that road traffic injuries (RTIs) and deaths have been increasing at an alarming pace in Karnataka. “After adjusting for underreporting for the State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) data, it is estimated that nearly 13,000 deaths, 4,00,000 severe RTIs and nearly 1,00,00,000 mild injuries occurred in Karnataka in 2019,” stated the report.

Former director of NIMHANS G. Gururaj, who is the chairman of the Karnataka Health Vision Group as well as the committee on ‘Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion’, told The Hindu on Saturday that RTIs occur predominantly in males in the age group of 15 to 45 years, in economically productive populations and in the poor and middle-income sections of the society.

“RTIs place a huge burden on the health systems for care and rehabilitation services for the affected persons. Nearly 65% of road deaths in Karnataka occurred in the age group of 18 to 44 years and among the younger and productive sections of the population. Nearly 80% of crashes and 88% of deaths occur in the rural parts of the State indicating the need for strengthening road safety mechanisms at district and taluka levels,” he asserted.

Studies undertaken by the WHO collaborating Centre at NIMHANS clearly indicate that three out of four deaths and injuries are among pedestrians, two wheeler riders and pillions and bicyclists.

Dr. Gururaj said the Vision Report has recommended that the five pillars of road safety focusing on road safety management, safe road infrastructure, safe vehicles and improving road user behaviour along with post-crash care should be implemented in all seriousness to achieve success in road safety in the State.

“The new thinking is a safe systems approach. We have been blaming the RTI victims and saying people are responsible for the accidents. But it is everyone’s responsibility including the road contractors, vehicle manufacturers as well as people. All should be involved in designing road safety with a goal to minimise road crashes and prevent death and disability,” he said.