Motorcyclists most vulnerable to road accidents: WHO

As per the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) report, as many as 16.6 people per lakh die in road accidents in India, resulting in a loss of 3 % of Gross Domestic Product for the country. In its Global Road Safety Report, the WHO has stated that more attention is required to protect the vulnerable road users and improve vehicle safety.

The most vulnerable lot are the motorcyclists, who make up for 23 % of all road traffic deaths. "In many regions, the problem is increasing. In the region of the Americas, for example, the proportion of motorcycle deaths out of all road traffic fatalities rose from 15 % to 20 % between 2010 and 2013. In the South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions, a third of all road traffic deaths were among the motorcyclists," read the WHO statement.

Globally, the next least protected are the pedestrians and cyclists, making up for 22 % and 4 % of global deaths respectively. In India, the death percentage of 2- or 3-wheeler users is the highest at 33.9 %, followed by four-wheeler users at 17.2 % and pedestrians at 9.1 %, while cyclists comprise 3.5 %.

The data maintained by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways indicates that there is an almost 3 % increase in total deaths at 1,41,526 in 2014, since the previous year.

Piyush Tewari, the founder of SaveLIFE Foundation, said, "The report should be an eye-opener for our law makers, as it categorically states that the Indian road safety laws do not meet the best practice requirements for four out of five risk factors: enforcing speed limits, prevention of drunk driving, safety of children and use of helmets. Even for seat-belts, where the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, is in consonance with the WHO standards, the enforcement is poor and India has a pathetic score of 4 out 10. With respect to vehicle safety, India meets only two out of the seven vehicle safety standards."