Traffic police organizes road safety campaign in Guwahati

Guwahati, Nov. 15 (ANI): On the occasion of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, Traffic police in Guwahati organised an awareness campaign on Sunday to sensitise people about road safety.

"Over the last five years, the number of accidents has doubled. The number of accidents which were around 300 in 2003, in 2008, it has become more than 650. So it has gone double. So we thought that it is an opportunity to highlight and make people aware of the rising number of accidents and involve them in a way so that we can prevent any further accidents," said Pradip Pujari, Superintendent of Police (SP), Traffic, Guwahati.

According to the World Bank estimates, in India, where roads carry almost 90 percent of all passenger traffic and 65 percent of its freight, the mortality rate per 10,000 vehicles is 14 compared with less than two for developed countries.

With a few Indian cities not enforcing even basic traffic rules, it is not unusual to see children sitting in the laps of adults in front seats, and overloaded buses with people balanced precariously on the steps or perched on the roofs.

Potholed roads, inadequate safety regulations, a scrappy licence system and a lax attitude toward drunk and underage driving are all blamed for accidents which kill an estimated 275 people every day.

The transport ministry estimates that the number of annual fatalities due to road accidents might climb to 150,000 by 2015 due to the rapid growth of vehicle ownership in India. (ANI)