Ranked third for highest number of road accidents in country

According to the latest figures released by the Union Road Transport Ministry, Kerala has become the third state with the highest number of road accidents in the country. Shockingly, Kerala accounts for 10 per cent of the country's road accidents. Tamil Nadu is at the top with 14 per cent of road accidents. Madhya Pradesh comes in second with 11.5 per cent of road accidents. Last year, 48,091 road accidents occurred in Kerala. Tamil Nadu had 67,213 accidents, and Madhya Pradesh 56,437. Big states like UP, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Gujarat are all behind Kerala in terms of accidents. It is truly of concern to see the spike in road accidents in Kerala despite the state using AI technologies and related schemes to make people adhere to traffic norms.

Drunken driving and reckless speeding contribute chiefly to the spike in road accidents in Kerala. On another note, most roads in Kerala are now undergoing construction works, making driving a tedious exercise. The Motor Vehicles Department and other concerned authorities should contemplate necessary reforms and measures to prevent the trend of increasing accidents as the number of vehicles on the road increases. According to the state transport department, 74,878 people were punished for driving under the influence of alcohol last year. Only 9632 people were punished in 2021. In 2024, 174 accidents were recorded due to drunk driving. In the last year, 15 people lost their lives in drunk driving accidents.

It is easy for officials to identify drunken drivers. However, the officials are bereft of the necessary equipment to identify people driving vehicles while on drugs. If the officials are not equipped with modern systems to detect people driving under the influence of other intoxicants, the number of road accidents will only increase. Moreover, in the skewed setup, police often flaunt enthusiasm in catching traffic offenders for not wearing helmets and seat belts, but the same vigour is missing in catching people driving under the influence of intoxicants.

Last year, the highest number of people convicted for driving under the influence of alcohol was in the Kottayam district - 13,426 people. Kollam had 11,742, and in Ernakulam, 9609 people.

Speeding is generally seen among young drivers. Those who are seriously injured in accidents will have to suffer from it for the rest of their lives. The fact that all the national highways in Tamil Nadu are designed for speeding is giving nightmares to authorities. Within two years, the national highways project in Kerala will be completed. To avoid a Tamil Nadu-like scenario, awareness and training programs need to begin now. Otherwise, Kerala will reel in grief over more fatal road accidents.