Overspeeding accounts for over 50% of road accidents(Times of India,December10,2009)

New Delhi: Exceeding the lawful speed limit is the single biggest reason for road accidents . According to a submission by the road, transport and highways ministry (MoRTH) in Lok Sabha, overspeeding is responsible for over 51% of road accidents whereas driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs is the reason for 5% of road mishaps.
In a written reply, minister of state Mahadev Khandela said in Rajya Sabha that there was an increase in the percentage of road mishaps due to overspeeding. While in 2004, 1,98,72 accidents out of 4,29,910 were due to overspeeding , it shot up to 2,47,371 in 2007 out of the total road accidents of 4,79,216.
Significantly, the ministers reply also highlights the increasing share of pedestrians , cyclists and two-wheeler drivers in the fatalities during 2004-07 . While the share of these three groups as a percentage of total persons killed in road accidents was 29.5%, it touched 40.2% in 2007. This data excludes road accidents in Delhi.
However, traffic experts feel that singling out any one factor for road mishaps is premature since there is no proper investigation of these accidents . In yet another written reply, Khandela informed the Lok Sabha that Tamil Nadu registered the highest number of accidents on national highways with 19,910 in 2007. Maharashtra came second (13,563), followed by Karnataka (13,310) and Andhra Pradesh (13,040).
Interestingly, the ministrys submission claimed that the number of road mishaps on NHs had slipped in 2007.


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