Drink and drive a big no.....

The major cause for accidents in india or globally is being in  an inebriated condition when the body is toxicated by alcohol or any other chemical.
                                                                 Though the government has taken number of preventive  measures to prevent accidents  unfortunately india has the highest number of road accidents on an average every year ....

Road accidents have earned India a dubious distinction. With over 130,000 deaths annually, the country has overtaken China and now has the worst road traffic accident rate worldwide.

A truck accident in India's central state of Madhya Pradesh

This has been revealed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its first ever Global Status Report on Road Safety. The report pointed to speeding, drunk driving and low use of helmets, seat belts and child restraints in vehicles as the main contributing factors.
Every hour, 40 people under the age of 25 die in road accidents around the globe. According to the WHO, this is the second most important cause of death for 5 to 29 year olds.

A bus fell from a bridge into a dry riverbed in northwestern India last month, killing at least 26 students and teachers on board

In India alone, the death toll rose to 14 per hour in 2009 as opposed to 13 the previous year. The total number of deaths every year due to road accidents has now passed the 135,000 mark, according to the latest report of National Crime Records Bureau or NCRB.
While trucks and two-wheelers were responsible for over 40 per cent of deaths, peak traffic during the afternoon and evening rush hours is the most dangerous time to be on the roads.
Drunken driving is a major factor
The NCRB report further states that drunken driving was a major factor for road accidents. Joint Commissioner of Police Maxwell Perreira maintains that there has to be a change in drivers' mindsets.

Trucks are responsible for many road accidents in India

"Most of the city accidents are not necessarily out of drunken driving," says Pereira. "But 99 per cent of the accidents, the fatal accidents that occur outside the cities are due to drunken driving and there is no check on this kind of drunken driving. Unfortunately, truck drivers think they are fully armed to drive on the highway when they are fully drunk! Until and unless this country comes up with a new method of checking drunkenness on the highways, I don't think these fatalities can be lessened."
Inefficient law enforcement
Prince Singhal, founder of the Campaign Against Drunken Driving (CADD), a decade-old movement with support across the country, says the increase in fatal accidents only proves the lack of concern on the part of state governments and police towards the problem of drunken driving.
"It's growing day by day because liquor is a state subject and its happening everywhere in the country, not just Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and metro towns. There is an ineffective law, there is no judicial procedure, there is no enforcement by the police, no specific segment where they can book people under drunk driving."

India is experiencing a car boom

Campaigns against drunken driving have not proved effective. And the increasing number of prosecutions for drunken driving has also not been a deterrent. But Singhal is determined to change this.
"Now things are going to change because we met government representatives and we filed a white paper policy on road safety. So there is going to be national council which is going to be formed very soon in the country. The matter is in parliament and it is already approved by the cabinet. And very soon you will see a specific body on road safety is going to be formed."
The time for action is now: Road deaths increased by nearly 40 per cent between 2003 and 2008 in India, and the more progressive and developed states like Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu are the ones most affected.
Road safety experts also warn that the real numbers of fatalities could be much higher since many cases are not even reported. There is no estimate as to how many people injured in road accidents die a few hours or days after the accident. And their deaths are then no longer linked to road traffic accidents.

Heres a survey on the number of accidents that took place in india regionally sadly in which most of them were fatal

            
Deaths and incidents of road accidents in India in 2012

States/UTs	Total accidents	Accidents per lakh population	Total deaths	Deaths per lakh population
Andaman and Nicobar	236	62.01	25	6.57
Andhra Pradesh	42,524	50.28	14,964	17.69
Arunachal Pradesh	251	18.14	138	9.97
Assam	6,535	20.94	2,291	7.34
Bihar	10,320	9.91	5,056	4.86
Chandigarh	419	39.70	136	12.89
Chhattisgarh	13,511	52.89	3,167	12.40
Dadra and Nagar Haveli	85	24.73	53	15.42
Daman and Diu	50	20.56	29	11.92
Delhi	6,937	41.32	1,866	11.12
Goa	4,312	295.64	292	20.02
Gujarat	27,949	46.24	7,817	12.93
Haryana	10,065	39.70	4,446	17.54
Himachal Pradesh	2,899	42.23	1,109	16.16
Jammu and Kashmir	6,709	53.50	1,165	9.29
Jharkhand	5,711	17.31	2,818	8.54
Karnataka	44,448	72.75	9,448	15.46
Kerala	36,174	108.29	4,286	12.83
Lakshadweep	3	4.65	0	0.00
Madhya Pradesh	51,210	70.51	8,175	11.26
Maharashtra	66,316	59.01	13,333	11.86
Manipur	771	30.00	158	6.15
Meghalaya	483	16.28	219	7.38
Mizoram	110	10.03	77	7.02
Nagaland	42	2.12	56	2.83
Odisha	9,285	22.12	3,701	8.82
Puducherry	1,181	94.63	193	15.47
Punjab	6,341	22.86	4,820	17.37
Rajasthan	22,969	33.51	9,528	13.90
Sikkim	158	25.88	55	9.01
Tamil Nadu	67,757	93.92	16,175	22.42
Tripura	888	24.17	272	7.40
Uttar Pradesh	29,972	15.00	16,149	8.08
Uttarakhand	1,472	14.59	844	8.37
West Bengal	12,290	13.46	5,397	5.91
ALL INDIA	490,383	40.51	138,258	11.42

Source: Accident data - Ministry of Road Transport and Highways; Population data - Primary Census Abstract 2011

 CSE claims that cities are designing roads to increase speed of motor vehicles but at the same time neglecting infrastructure and rights of walkers, cyclists and public transport users. "If road safety is compromised, cities cannot increase the share of sustainable modes such as walk, cycle and public transport for clean air and public health", cautioned the organization.

The assessments indicate that despite the nominal reduction in total number of accidents over the last two decades, the share of fatal road accidents have increased phenomenally as Indian cities are giving more importance to high speed roads for vehicles - and not to ensuring safe access for all, say CSE researchers. CSE released its analysis at a recent workshop titled 'Our Safe Right to Way - Addressing safety and accessibility in Indian cities."

Tragic statistics are piling up and several recent gruesome incidents have sent shock waves, necessitating immediate intervention for zero tolerance. The untimely death of the rural development minister Gopinath Munde in a road accident was a grim reminder of the dangerous trend in the city. Even children going to school are not spared. The brunt of this harsh fate falls on the very large number of people cycling and walking on the city's roads, as well as those who use public transport.

Sunita Narain, director general says: "Unsafe roads are a warning against the goals of sustainable mobility practices. Walk, cycle, and public transport will not work if people are not safe, and are injured or die while traveling." She adds that the assessment becomes necessary at a time when cities are trying to increase their share of public transport along with walking and cycling with the aim of getting clean air, protecting public health, and reducing fuel guzzling and climate impacts.

The recent estimates of Global Burden of Disease (GBD) has changed the way health impacts of motorisation are conventionally understood, by including deaths and illnesses from road accidents as well as air pollution within its ambit. The GBD report ranks road injuries as the world's eighth leading cause of death and the number one killer of young people aged 15 to 24. If deaths due to road injuries and air pollution from vehicles are combined, then they exceed the tally from HIV, tuberculosis or malaria. The World Health Organization (WHO) now classifies disability, unproductive life years, and premature deaths related to road injuries as a significant health impact of motorisation.

Explosive trend in Indian cities: As much as 11 per cent of the global road injury deaths occur annually in India alone. India also displays a very disturbing trend -- over the last two decades, while the total number of accidents and injury shows only a small downward dip, fatalities have increased very sharply. The proportion of fatal accidents in total road accidents is up from 18 per cent in 2003 to 25 per cent in 2012 (as per official data). More people are dying now as cities allow vehicles to have more speed on roads, while depriving people of safe access to these same roads.

                                                               About 16 people die and 58 are injured every hour in India due to road accidents - the death rate, in fact, is equivalent to wiping out about 40 per cent of the population of a small nation like Maldives in a year. And Delhi has the highest number of fatal accidents among all cities, with five deaths per day.

The share of fatal accidents in the total is up from 18 percent in 2003 to 25 in 2012. Delhi records an average of five road accident deaths per day - four of these are of pedestrians and two-wheeler riders. Every week, two cyclists and one car rider dies in Delhi. The worst accident hotspots have been detected near flyovers and junctions.

Metro cities record very high rates, but numbers are increasing in smaller cities as well: Highly motorised cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Bengaluru top the list with the highest numbers of injuries and deaths as recorded by the Union ministry of road transport and highways. Mumbai has the highest number of all types of accidents, while Delhi records largest number of fatal accidents among all cities. Studies now indicate that smaller cities that have newly built highways, show increasing vehicle conflict and accident risks—Lucknow, Vadodara and Agra are some examples.

                                                                                               

The numbers sound scary: 138,258 people died of road accidents in India in 2012. That’s a little less than the population of Maldives. In recent years, as China has made its roads safer, India has overtaken China as the largest contributor to road accident deaths. As per the National Crime Records Bureau, as many as 461 people died and 1,301 more were injured every day in traffic accidents in the country during 2012. This makes it 19 deaths every hour—or more than one death every three minutes.

India could do a lot to make its roads safer. Given that it is the second-most populous country, it is only natural that India would have a high number of road accident deaths compared to other countries. And as India urbanizes, builds more roads and more vehicles, the number of traffic accidents and accident-related deaths is unfortunately bound to increase.

A better measure of road safety is the number of deaths per 100,000 population. According to World Health Organization figures, India’s accident death rate of 18.9 for every 100,000 people is only a little higher than the global average, 18. Many countries have a much higher accident death rate—Thailand (38), South Africa (32), Venezuela (37.2), Oman (34), Nigeria (33), Iran (34), Iraq (31), Saudi Arabia (28), Malaysia (25) and China (20.5).

In a regional comparison, Africa has the highest rate (24.1 per 100,000 population) and Europe the lowest (10.3 per 100,000). However, all of India’s neighbors have fewer accident deaths per 100,000 than India. Bangladesh is the best at 11.6, followed by Mauritius (12.2), Bhutan (13.2), Sri Lanka (13.7), Myanmar (15), Nepal (16) and Pakistan (17.4).

Causes of collisions

Every day, drivers die in road collisions.
Many die as a consequence of inexperience, speeding intoxication through drink or drugs or just plain recklessness.

Causes of collisions

The majority of road crashes are caused by human error.  Research has shown that driver error accounts for over 80% of all fatal and injury crashes  on Irish roads
The main causes of death and injury on Irish roads remain speeding, drink driving and non-wearing of seat-belts . 
Because most traffic accidents are the product of several factors, the probability of accidents can be reduced in a number of different ways. There is no doubt that the following activities have prevented the increase in accidents that would normally result from increases in traffic density. There are three main approaches to preventing accidents:

1. Education and training of (a) children in school by road-traffic instructors and school teachers; and of (b) adolescents in the principles of safe driving and in good driving attitudes; by (c) refresher courses for older drivers to bring home safe-driving principles and to refresh their knowledge of traffic law; and by means of (d) newspaper, radio television, and other publicity, to draw the attention of all road users both to dangers and to safe practices on the road.
2. Enforcement by (a) adopting reasonable and enforceable traffic laws which, at the same time, are best designed to prevent accidents; (b) concentrating the time and energy of traffic officers on the offences, locations, and times that feature frequently in accidents; and (c) thoroughly testing new drivers to ensure they will not be liable to cause accidents.
3. Engineering of vehicles and roads: Vehicle engineering, comprising (a) regular inspection for a “warrant of fitness” to ensure that the main components of the vehicle are safe; (b) improving the design of the vehicle to give ease of vision and control to the driver and so reduce the likelihood of injury in an accident; (c) fitting safety equipment, such as seat belts.

Road or traffic engineering comprises (a) the design of new roads which are inherently safe (separating opposing traffic flows, eliminating cross traffic, and providing wide shoulders and traffic lanes and good visibility); (b) Improving existing roads by realignment, improving vision, and resurfacing slippery surfaces; (c) Regulating traffic movement by installing traffic signals, traffic islands, road markings, and regulatory signs such as “stop” and “give way” signs; and (d) assisting the driver with warning and destination signs to avoid danger and confusion.
Below you will find more information on one of  the general causes of accidents on our roads.

Bad driving habits and road safety

There are number of things that other drivers do that can be extremely irritating and danagerous.  Bad Tailgating, poor lane discipline, not indicating and undertaking are just a few of the bad habits that frequently and are very annoying.  Aside from the inconvenience to  other road users, this kind of inconsiderate driving is also very dangerous. Tailgating – This is probably one of the greatest offences .  Some drivers are extremely impatient , some people do it without thinking, just following traffic they get a bit close, but then they back off as you accelerate way.
Some drivers tailgate deliberately though and these are the ones that are the most dangerous.  They sit behind you flashing their headlights in an effort to move you, but of course there is nowhere to go as you are in the process of overtaking and there is no room to pull in on the left.  To this kind of driver, the two second rule means that they can just about cope with another vehicle in front of them before they decide to intimidate them by driving inches away. Undertaking – Tailgaters that don’t get their way will often resort to undertaking if they can.  Yes, there are also those selfish individuals out there that hog the middle and the outside lane.  They have no idea that there is a queue of traffic waiting to get past them, probably because they are in their own little world thinking about what to have for dinner.  This causes some individuals to loose patience and undertake. Poor lane discipline – Some drivers are all over the place and they don’t seem to realise that they are supposed to stay in between those white dashed lines.  Indicators – Some people have no idea what these pretty orange flashing lights are actually for! They move here and there and go wherever they please without any thought of letting the rest of the road users know what their intentions are.
These are just a few of the things that can be particularly irritating about other drivers and their habits.  Below are some other annoyances ;
Cutting corners, particularly at junctions .
No headlights in conditions that require them .
Throwing cigarettes out the window.
 Leaving main beam on, or dipping only at the last minute.
 Inappropriate use of the horn.
 Impatient people Pushing in ahead of a queue of traffic.

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Speed

SPEED is the single biggest factor contributing to road deaths in Ireland. Over 40% of fatal collisions are caused by excessive or inappropriate speed.
A 5km/h difference in speed could be the difference between life and death for a vulnerable road user like a pedestrian.

• Hit by a car at 60km/h, 9 out of 10 pedestrians will be killed
• Hit by a car at 50km/h, 5 out of 10 pedestrians will be killed
• Hit by a car at 30km/h, 1 out of 10 pedestrians will be killed

Speed has been identified as a key risk factor in road traffic injuries, influencing both the risk of a road crash as well as the severity of the injuries that result from crashes. Excess speed is defined as exceeding the speed limit. Inappropriate speed is defined as driving at a speed unsuitable for the prevailing road and traffic conditions.
Excess and inappropriate speed are responsible for a high proportion of the mortality and morbidity that result from road crashes. Controlling vehicle speed can prevent crashes happening and can reduce the impact when they do occur,lessening the severity of the of injuries sustained by the victims. Dropping off 3 storeys is equivalent
to crashing at 50km/h Dropping off 12 storeys is equivalent
to crashing at 100km/h THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS SAFE SPEEDING

Think about this:

Choose your speed and you choose your consequences.

In a 60 km/h zone, travelling at:

• 65 km/h, you are twice as likely to have a serious crash
• 70 km/h, you are four times as likely to have a serious crash
• 75 km/h, you are 10 times as likely to have a serious crash
• 80 km/h, you are 32 times as likely to have a serious crash than if you drive at 60 km/h.

In rural out of town areas, travelling just 10 km/h faster than the average speed of other traffic, you are twice as likely to have a serious crash. Stopping distance in Wet conditions Stopping Distance in dry conditions
Images provided by Holroyd City Council Austrialia.

Driving in Fog

Driving in Fog

Fog can be thought of as a cloud at ground level. It forms when the temperature drops to the dew point (the temperature at which air is saturated), and invisible water vapor in the air condenses to form suspended water droplets. Fog can reduce visibility to 1/4 mile or less, creating hazardous driving conditions. If you can't postpone your trip until dense fog lifts -- usually by late morning or the afternoon -- follow these tips:

• Drive with lights on low beam. High beams will only be reflected back off the fog and actually impair visibility even more.
• Reduce your speed -- and watch your speedometer. Fog creates a visual illusion of slow motion when you may actually be speeding.
• Listen for traffic you cannot see. Open your window a little, to hear better.
• Use wipers and defrosters as necessary for maximum visibility.
• Use the left edge of the road or painted road markings as a guide.
• Be patient. Do not pass lines of traffic.
• Do not stop on a motorway or heavily traveled road.

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• Car accidents are really very scary to see or hear and evenmore scary to experience. Unfortunate we do this riskiest stunt almost every day. As per National Highway Traffic Administration, few of mostcommon reasons for road accidents are:o Distracted Drivingo Bad Weather Conditionso Drunk and Drivingo Due to Extreme Tirednesso Driving at a Speed that is Greater than Legal Limit
• 2.  Distracted Driving: (Samples of activity while driving)
• 3.  Bad Weather Conditions: (Sample Conditions)
• 4.  Drunk and Driving: (Sample Accidents)
• 5.  Due to Extreme Tiredness: (Sample Situations)
• 6.  Driving at High Speed: (Sample Accidents)
• 7.  As per NHTA data every year 5.25 million accidents takeplace. Huge number of deaths take place due to roadaccidents, approx of 40,000 per year. Every year millions of people suffer with major or smallinjuries due to road accidents. Every year number of road accidents are increasing, as persome survey done by an organization about 50 millionpeople got injured and 1.2 million car accident deathshappened world wide in 2004.
• 8.  As per NHTA, car accidents happen every minute of the day. As per the figures accidents can’t be stop 100% atlest can bereduced. Some measures which could reduce the number of accidents.◦ Wearing Seat Belt◦ No cell pone, eating junk while driving◦ Following traffic rules As per NHTA between 3 oclock to 9 oclock is peck time foraccidents. Highest % between 6 oclock to 9 oclock, because of back tohome time. From 9 oclock and midnight 53% of accidents happen underalcohol influence.
•    From 12am to 7am accidents happen under alcoholinfluence becomes more worse where the percentageincreases to 71%. Many measures taken by governments in order to altestreduce the accidents number but unfortunately number isincreasing year by year. Now should we plan our drive avoiding the above timings No, avoiding these timings is not a solution. Increasing the awareness about following trafficrules, being alert while driving could make our roads moresafe to drive. 

                                                                 
 

 

           

   

      

DRIVE RESPONSIBLY REMEMBER YOUR LOVED ONES ARE WAITING FOR YOU AND REMEMBER YOUR NEGLIGENCE COULD TAKE SOME ONES LIFE 

 TAKE GOOD CARE BE A RESPONSIBLE GOOD CITIZEN AND AVOID DRINK AND DRIVE

REGARDS 

MOHAN.V.KRISHNA

THIS IS A COMPILATION OF DIFFERENT ACCIDENTS AND SURVEYS 

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