Top 5 Causes of Road Accidents in Kottayam:
- Over-speeding
- Drunken driving
- Poor road conditions
- Road rage
- Non-adherence to basic traffic guidelines & rules
Kerala stands 5th in the number of road accidents in India. There’s one death every 4 minutes due to a road accident in India, and Kerala’s average could be anywhere near ‘one every 30 minutes’. Statistics reveal that road accidents are steadily rising in Kerala.
If you dig deep to find out the single-most reason behind road accidents, it is “Human Error“. We can further expand it to:
- Human Recklessness
- Human Negligence
- Human Arrogance
While poor roads – with pot holes, unscientifically designed curves & junctions, insufficient warning signs, blind spots etc – certainly contribute to accidents, they can all be handled by careful driving, isn’t it?
A sensible driver must be able to drive safe in all road & weather conditions, making it safer for himself and the other drivers on road.
Our basic attitude to driving is very casual and negligent. We care a damn about safety rules! We talk over phone while driving, lean out and wave our hands to our friends on the road, look distractedly at those sexy hoardings, and talk to our co-passengers taking our eyes off the road for dangerous duration. We are all super-smart people who need not bother about road safety rules!
Following are the “expanded” causes of road accidents & deaths, most of which come under the certainly-avoidable “Human Error” umbrella:
- Distracted Driving (can be further expanded)
- Over-speeding
- Drunken Driving
- Sleep-deprived and tired Drivers
- Reckless Driving
- Street Racing
- Dangerous/Disallowed overtaking
- Road Rage (can be further expanded)
- Non-adherence to lane driving & traffic rules
- Negligence, Carelessness
- Road and Weather Conditions like Rain
- Potholes
- Unscientifically developed Roads (poor Road Engineering)
- Inexperienced & careless night-driving
- Teenage Drivers (can be further expanded)
- Unsafe Lane/Track Changes
- Improper turns
- Tailgating
- Vehicle failure, Poorly-maintained vehicles
- Overloaded vehicles
- Avoiding safety gears like seat belts and helmets
Our basic attitude to driving must change. Traffic & Safety rules must be strictly followed. Your over-smartness is no excuse for exceptions!
