28 Indian bikers without helmets died daily in 2016

About 28 two-wheeler riders died daily on Indian roads in 2016 for not wearing helmets and another 15 for not fastening their seatbelts, according to an analysis of data shared by states with the transport ministry, reports Times of India.

The year was the deadliest with 31 people dying in every 100 road accidents. It has steadily increased from 21.6 deaths per 100 accidents in 2005 to 29.1 in 2015.

This is for the first time that police and transport departments in states have captured data on deaths caused due to non-wearing of helmet. States have reported that one of every five bike occupants who died in crashes was not wearing helmet and their total number was 10,135.

Uttar Pradesh accounted for most such fatalities (3,818), followed by Tamil Nadu (1,946) and Maharashtra (1,113).

A study by the United Nations last year had estimated wearing an appropriate helmet improves chances of survival of bikers by 42%. The states have also provided deaths due to non-wearing of seatbelt in cars. A total of 5,638 people died on this account in 2016 with UP accounting for the most deaths (2,741).

Experts said the number of deaths due to not wearing of helmets and seatbelts could be more as the available data might not have captured the details in entirety.

According to the data, the total number of road deaths was nearly 1.51 lakh in 2016 as compared to 1.46 lakh in 2015. About 68% of the total number of people killed were in the age group of 18-45 years, which is the most productive age. Last year, transport minister Nitin Gadkari had termed the situation as "an emergency".

Two-wheelers remained the most unsafe mode of transport, not just for the riders but also posed maximum danger to others on the road. Crashes due to two-wheelers resulted in 44,000 deaths while 52,500 riders died in road accidents, which is nearly 35% of the total road deaths in 2016. "Safety of two-wheeler occupants is a big issue not just in India but for the entire south-east Asian region where their share is the highest among all types of vehicles.

But very little has been done for safety of occupants. Western solution won't help us in making our roads safer. There has to be specific policy intervention to meet our requirements," said road safety expert Rohit Baluja.

The transport ministry has taken some initiatives, including mandatory installation of anti-lock braking system in two-wheelers, which prevents the wheels from locking up during braking. Indian roads were equally unsafe for pedestrians. In comparison to 13,894 pedestrians killed in 2015, 15,796 pedestrians were crushed to death last year. Speeding and overtaking remained the biggest cause of road crashes.

The number of people killed in hit-and-run cases also increased from 20,709 in 2015 to 22,962 last year. "Huge number of productive youths dying in road accidents should trigger immediate improvement of laws and enforcement of traffic rules," said K K Kapila of International Road Federation.