Over 2000 Children Died in Road Accidents in 2021: Can we control this?

A ground-level study conducted by our team that may help to control this scenario

A total of 4,03,116 road accident cases were reported in 2021. Road accident cases in the country have increased from 3,54,796 in 2020 to 4,03,116 in 2021. Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra are the top 4 states in two-wheeler traffic injuries and deaths. As per data, over 2,000 children below the age of 15 and over 14,000 children below the age of 18 died in motorcycle accidents till 2020. Many these victims died while riding pillion with their parents to their schools. Importantly, most of these kids were not wearing helmets and succumbed to head injuries. This is a devastating number that highlights the urgent need for measures to be taken to control this issue.

We the team of seven members under the mentorship of Ujjal Mmukherjee , conducted a study among school administration, traffic police, and parents to understand the causes of death, ways to identify the causes of accidents involving kids and teenagers, and ways to reduce the fatalities. The conducted study using two different methodologies:

(1) Observational research was conducted to understand the nature of the problem.

(2) Survey Method was conducted to study the challenges and problems for the cause. These studies conducted in the phenomenon across 18 different cities of India. They conducted an interview with parents to further problem into the challenges.

The study revealed that the traffic police generally don’t interfere to parents, especially two-wheelers carrying kids without helmets, during and after school hours. Moreover, there is a lack of awareness among parents about the consequences of riding with their children without a helmet. The school administrations also do not educate the children and their parents on the consequences of such lapses. Every year, road accidents claim the lives of approximately 1.5 lakh people in the country. That amounts to over 400 deaths and thousands of injuries a day, as per the latest data. Among other factors responsible for this grave situation, bad driving is also a prominent one. As per latest data of compare the market India ranked fourth in a list of countries with the worst drivers.

The study proposes that regular checks by traffic police during school hours may help reduce such accidents. At the initial stages, the violators may be educated and warned by the police personnel. The study also suggests that the school administration may also help in this context by educating parents during, e.g., parent-teacher meetings, about the significance of wearing a helmet. They can also conduct regular awareness programs among students through seminars and events. The security personnel outside school premises manage traffic could also educate and intervene with the parents regarding using of helmet to their children while dropping and pickup from school.

Additionally, helmet companies can develop creative helmets that may attract the attention of different age groups of children. Importantly, these helmets have to be sold on the market at reasonable prices. Continuous intervention by the legal system and education institutes may help substantially bring down the fatality rates among young children.