• Investment World
• eWorld
• Catalyst
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• Business Line
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

Our Bureau

In Kerala 15 accidents occur per 1,000 vehicles and this figure is twice the all India average.

Thiruvananthapuram , April 11

WITH Kerala having the third highest number of road accidents in India, road safety should not be treated merely as transportation issue, but should be viewed as a public health concern, believes Mr T. Elangovan, Director, National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC).

Latest figures from the authorities put the total number of road accidents in Kerala in 2003 at 39,496, while the number of deaths as a result of road accidents in the same period was put at 2,905.

Though Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu are ahead of Kerala in terms of the total number of road accidents, the State's position becomes rather grim if one looks at the number of road accidents per thousand vehicles. On this parameter, Kerala comes out on top with 15 accidents per 1,000 vehicles, Mr Elangovan points out. This figure is twice the all India average, he adds.

Thus, there is a need to recognise that road safety is a public health issue, he emphasises. Similarly, in order to improve safety on Kerala's roads, it is necessary to elicit the involvement of different organisations and sections of society, he adds.

For instance, NATPAC recently organised a workshop involving various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working in the area of road safety in Kerala. This meeting focused on what NGOs can do to improve road safety.

Another proposal on the anvil is to implement a comprehensive action plan - with both short and long-term components - on road safety.

This action plan should incorporate various measures such as better road safety education and training, traffic safety legislation, evaluation of the effectiveness of road safety activities, purchase of road safety equipment and so on, says Mr Elangovan.

Improvement in accident care facilities along the State's major highways is another measure that can be incorporated in the action plan, he says.

One measure he suggests is the establishment of emergency care centres at regular intervals on the national highways.

These centres can be equipped with ambulances, wireless equipment and other medical facilities, and staffed by paramedical personnel, he adds.

Similarly, the accident and emergency care facilities at hospitals in specially chosen locations can be improved.

More Stories on : Health | Roadways | Kerala

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Off-label use of drugs - beneficial or risky?

Copyright © 2004, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line