Road accidents claim 15 lives everyday in MP

Bhopal, Dec 18 (UNI) At least 15 people, including five to six two-wheeler riders, die on an average in road accidents every day in Madhya Pradesh.

The startling figures were revealed by Additional Inspector General (Traffic) V K Pawar while talking to UNI here today even as helmet checking drive has been launched in all major cities of the state including the state capital.

''About 80 per cent of two-wheeler riders die due to severe head injuries received during accidents. Surprisingly, helmet is still unpopular among them,'' Mr Pawar said.

He said people provide strange excuses for not wearing helmets like headache or hairfall. However, such excuses do not hold water.

Several times people use cheap helmets of poor quality to escape police checking but this was a kind of self-deception. Use of ISI-approved helmets was appropriate for protection, he noted.

Replying to a question, he admitted that absence of adequate resources posed a big challenge for traffic police. Shortage of staff and modern gadgets came in the way of achieving desired results.

''Traffic police is going to install cameras at prominent squares of the state capital so that drivers flouting traffic rules are nabbed,'' he said.

He said that it was a challenge to control road accidents in Third World countries in view of growing population and consequent increase in the number of vehicles but poor condition of roads and traffic facilities.

Mr Pawar said countries like Sweden practiced 'Zero Tolerance' policy in case of road accidents. A single road accident was enough to stir the country.

Besides alert traffic arrangements and other facilities, awareness among drivers and their cooperation was necessary, he added.

UNI