The Social Cost of Unsafe Roads and Lax Laws

The Centre must speed up its plan to table a Road Transport and Safety bill in Parliament with provisions such as immediate and free treatment for mishap victims. The urgency is grave. Firstly, young people form a truly disproportionate chunk of those killed every year on Indian roads.

According to a new report, those in the age group of 15 to 34 accounted for more than 53 per cent of those killed in 2014 on the country’s streets. More than 35per cent of the deaths due to road accidents were of people in the age group of 35 to 64. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had declared in his Mann ki Baat radio programme that he was concerned about the high rate of casualties in accidents and that the Government was putting in place stringent laws to effect a steep decline in such figures.

Spreading awareness among young people about road safety is crucial. The latest numbers put out by the Road Transport and Highways Ministry also reveal the high social cost of such unfortunate deaths.

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