Dont become a statistic in India's road accidents database..

Unsafe roads are a public health hazard, approaching, in India’s case, an epidemic that not only kills and maims, often for life, but also harms the country’s economic health.

According to a study by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, road traffic accidents cost India nearly 3% of its gross domestic product a year. 

There were a total of 4.81 lakh accidents in India in 2016, leading to about 1.5 lakh deaths. India has only about 2% of the world’s motor vehicles but accounts for over 12% of its traffic accident deaths, making the Indian road network the most unsafe on the planet. 

More than 400 persons die daily in road accidents in India.

During the year 2010, they were 5 lakh road accidents in India, which resulted in more than 1.3 lakh dead and inflicted injuries on 5.2 lakh persons. Nearly one-fourth the total accidents resulted in fatalities. 

These numbers translate into one road accident every minute, and one road accident death every 4 minutes. Unfortunately more than half the victims are in the economically active age group of 25 to 65 years. The loss of the main breadwinner can be catastrophic.

What was worse was that over time, more of the accidents were becoming fatal and no. of fatalities per 100 accidents climbed drastically (from 20 in 2001 to 27 in 2010).

Between 1970 and 2010, there was an increase of more than 100% in road accidents. However the number of accidents per 10,000 vehicles declined by 95 % in the same period - from 814 in 1970 to 42 in 2009. The number of persons injured per 10,000 vehicles also plummeted from 500 in 1970 to about 45 in 2009. Similarly, the number of persons killed per 10,000 vehicles in the country has also fallen from about 104 in 1970 to less than 11 in 2009.

Accidents increased by about 20 % per 10,000 kms of road length between 1970 and 2008.  But the number of persons injured and killed per ten thousand kilometres of road length has more than doubled since 1970. Modern road systems are largely designed for the motor vehicles, exposing vulnerable road users to greater risk of accidents.

In 2010, Gujarat and Kerala had a much lower percentage of fatalities in comparison to the percentage of vehicle ownership in their states. But the no. of accidents per thousand vehicles was the highest in Karnataka, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh (from 65-79).

Goa and Kerala had the lowest fatalities per 100 accidents (7 and 11 respectively). Punjab had the highest at 64.

When comparing accidents among major cities, an important accident related parameter is the extent of accident severity (road accident related deaths per 100 accidents). It varies from a low of 2 in Mumbai to a high of 69 in Varanasi.

A recent report shows that most accidents in India involve “newest vehicles”! Those vehicles that had been used for 0-5 years played a part in 40 per cent of road accidents in 2016, while those that had been on the roads for 5-10 years were involved in 33 percent of accidents.

The main reasons for deaths that have been documented in road accidents include poor driving skills and what you see on most roads – rule violations and indiscretion. Speeding is the reason for 67 percent of all road accidents, accounting for 61 percent of deaths.

Nearly a fourth each of accidents involve two wheelers and trucks. Cars are involved in 22 % of the accidents. Buses in 10 % and autos in 8 %. 58 % of the accidents were caused due to exceeding legal limits for driving, 22 % due to overcrowding, and 8 % due to substance abuse. 

Road traffic injuries (RTIs) have become one of the leading causes of deaths, disabilities and hospitalizations which impose severe socio-economic costs across the world. RTIs in 2004 were the 9th leading cause of death and at current rates by 2030, are expected to be the 5th leading cause of death, overtaking diabetes and HIV/AIDS.

Globally, the countries that have succeeded in reducing road accident deaths have done so by enacting strong laws for road safety. India, on the other hand, has been trying to strengthen its road safety legislation for three decades, to no avail.

The main thrust of accident prevention and control across the world has been on 4 Es, vis. (i) Education, (ii) Enforcement, (iii) Engineering and (iv) Environment and Emergency care of road accident victims. 

The Ministry has a scheme titled “Two days refresher training to heavy motor vehicle drivers in unorganized sector” to inculcate safe driving habits and to acquaint the drivers with the rules on roads. As against 16,000 drivers trained during Ninth Five year Plan, nearly 2 lakh drivers were trained during Tenth Five Year Plan. The Ministry intended to train around 80,000 drivers during 2011-12.

+++++++++++++++

Our rules for using public transport include - leave more than enough time to reach the station / airport and be well planned for the travel.

Our rules for using private transport include : Maximise tasks to be done in any one direction to increase efficiency, carry food and water for the journey, inform people close to you that you are on the road so there are less calls also, drive uptil 70 kms on highway to allow for other drivers making a mistake, dont change lanes often, dont change lanes without signalling, use horns only in emergency.

Why are Metro systems being planned for under-40 lakh population cities ?

Under the smart cities programme, the cities are required to build efficient urban mobility and public transportation by creating walkable localities, as well as promoting a variety of transport options. However, there is no clear guideline for developing a sustainable public transportation system.

Some of the new metro systems are still facing issues with building ridership; for example, Jaipur Metro carries only 17,000 passengers a day compared to the 2.1 lakh passengers daily that had been envisaged in this city of 30 lakh people by the Jaipur Development Authority.

Many Jaipur residents commented that the route was not planned on the busiest, most under-served areas of Jaipur and there is lack of last mile connectivity. Many feel a metro was not required for Jaipur at all. After Rajasthan Urban Infrastructure Development project (railway overbridge at all crossings) road connectivity in Jaipur has increased a lot so people prefer taking their own vehicles.

Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation earns 67 lakh after spending about Rs 3.5 crore monthly for operations. Unlike other state Metros, the operational losses of Jaipur Metro are being borne by residents since the state government is raising money for Rajasthan Transport Investment Development Fund by levying cess on several services. Perhaps more weightage was given by the then Congress Government to political reasons rather than financial or even practical viability.

It's not entirely the fault of states, however. The National Urban Transport Policy of 2006 provided for metros in all cities with over 20 lakh people. As per the policy, even such small cities as Bhopal, Chandigarh and Ludhiana were fit for metro transit systems.

But many experts fear it may be a burden to cities with populations on the lower side of 40 lakh. At least 25,000 passengers must take one side of the journey every hour for a metro to recover its running costs. That is about 8 lakh passengers a day.

The Delhi metro is one of only 5-6 metros in the world which are not running on loss. But it's not that they are minting money.

The Delhi metro has cost nearly Rs 70,000 crore to build so far. And even with an average daily ridership of over 25 lakh, its operational profits have dipped over the years due to rising electricity tariffs. Most of what it earns goes to paying interest on capital loans.

The Indore metro is proposed to be a 108-km network - the Jaipur metro is 9.63 km long - and is expected to cost Rs 22,000 crore.

Even if the state and the Centre agree to bear half the cost, the project would require loans of Rs 11,000 crore. So, it would have to pay about Rs 550 crore a year, at 5% rate, in interest alone. Add operational and capital costs, and the project seems unviable.

In even smaller cities that are mulling metros, Varanasi, Agra, Patna, Meerut and Guwahati - all with populations under 20 lakh -- the projects would just crumble under their own financial weight.

The Comprehensive Mobility Plan toolkit had been prepared by the Ministry of Urban Development in 2008, but was evidently not used while assessing whether Jaipur needed a metro or not on the specified route. As the toolkit makes clear that under 5000 passengers per hour per line in each direction should have only a city bus. 

Tips for travelling to Budapest

I have gained so much from others in the international travel community that I would like to pay back. Here are some tips for travelling to Budapest even though I havent been there yet - but my research has turned up pointers that may not be so easily available from elsewhere...

Tip No. 1 : District VIII has had a mixed reputation i am told, but I find its location wonderful - from a plethora of Indian restaurants to choose from, public transport at hand, and historic buildings everywhere you look !

Tip No. 2 : Travellers can take a 15 day or monthly public transport pass which is much cheaper than the 7-day / 3-day / 1-day budapest travel card. I am not sure the host of freebies are that much added value for the price.

Tip No. 3 : You CAN get on top of the Castle hill without breaking your knees on endless stairs. There is an ancient gate under the castle hill, facing the chain bridge. Take the road to the right of this gate - the Hunyadi Janos Ut. This road loops back uphill to the Habsburg Gate on top of the hill in less than 1.5 kms - a scenic 1.5 kms through interesting old buildings.