Considering speeding as a major cause of road accidents and fatalities, road safety experts have suggested that the authorities install speed limit boards, undertake more enforcement activities, and educate motorists.
According to the annual report for 2023 by state police, 93% of fatalities and 91% of injuries caused in road accidents were attributed to speeding. In that year, 12,321 people were killed and 52,547 injured. Among those killed, 44% were two-wheeler riders and 20% pedestrians.
Dr G Gururaj, former director and professor at Nimhans, said, "Speed limits are specified depending on the design and type of road such as highway, arterial, district, roads in city limits, and others. There are many vulnerable areas such as school premises, hospitals, residential areas, markets, and transport hubs. In addition to signage boards, engineering solutions, enforcement activities through automation and others, educating people plays a crucial role."Gururaj, who was taking part in the launch of a statewide mass media campaign organised by Karnataka State Road Safety Authority with the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety on Tuesday, said though it was reported that more than 12,000 died because of accidents in 2023, the number of fatalities could reach 15,000 as many deaths due to post-discharge complications and deaths at a later stage go unreported.
In Bengaluru, road accidents claim at least two lives and injure 11 people daily. In 2024, road accidents have killed 723 people and left 3,360 injured in the city. Transport department secretary NV Prasad said, "We urge people to ditch private vehicles and shift to the public transport system. To promote public transport, there are plans to increase the fleet size from 6,500 to 10,000 buses."
ADGP (recruitment) and commissioner for traffic and road safety KV Sharath Chandra said INR 90 crore has been allocated for mitigating road accidents and taking up road safety measures.
