Last three days in Gujarat saw 1900 people injured in road accidents across the State. Independence Day (August 15) and Janmashtami (August 16) followed by a Sunday (August 17) saw a spike in road accidents as more people ventured out on roads due to holidays.
Ahmedabad accounted for the highest number of 268 accidents followed by Surat (182) and Rajkot(118). These are accidents where government ambulance services were called to move victims to hospitals. Unofficial estimates claim that total numbers of accidents where people were moved in private vehicles would at least be another 25 per cent.
Though Gujarat roads are comparatively safer than average Indian roads which are rated among the world’s most dangerous roads, of late, rampant traffic violations and road congestions have seen an increase in road accidents in Gujarat.
Every day in India, one person dies every third minute in a road accident and according to transport minister Nitin Gadkari in 2023, there were 4.80 lac road accidents where police complaints were filed. These accidents claimed 172,000 lives across India. Gujarat does not figure in the top three State lists of highest accidents. Uttar Pradesh, Tamilnadu and Delhi record more road accidents and fatalities than Gujarat, However, with helmet rule not being mandatorily followed in Gujarat; number of two wheeler vehicle accidents are high in number reflecting a major social concern about safety. While most two wheeler vehicle drivers in Gujarat do not wear helmets, car drivers skip the seat belt rule resulting into road accidents and fatalities. Over speeding and vehicle driving by minors has also risen astronomically in Gujarat in last one decade. Driving under influence of alcohol or substance is another major concern in Gujarat with most youngsters involved in road accidents found to be driving under influence of alcohol or drugs.
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