Traffic deaths soar on India's chaotic streets

By Can Merey Nov 18, 2011, 2:22 GMT

New Delhi - When Formula 1 recently made its debut in India, even hardened race car drivers were overwhelmed by the traffic chaos on the streets of the host nation.

'This is unbelievable,' driver Nico Rosberg told the German radio station ARD at the Grand Prix of India. 'It is very dangerous, of course.'

When the World Health Organization (WHO) marks World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on Saturday, November 20, the focus will be on India, where more people are killed in traffic accidents than in any other country.

An accident occurs on the streets of the aspiring economic power nearly every minute, and someone dies nearly every four minutes.

According to the government, 125,660 people were killed in almost half a million accidents in 2009 - a figure representing a middle-sized city in many industrial countries.

In Germany, for instance, 4,152 people were killed in road accidents the same year. And the difference between more than 80 million Germans and India's 1.2 billion in habitants is not the only reason for the difference.

The latest World Bank statistics from 2006 showed Germans having 600 automobiles for every 1,000 residents compared to just 15 in India. This figure does not include two-wheelers, which are popular in southern Asia. The number of vehicles is on the increase, but their prevalence nevertheless remains much lower than in Western industrial nations.

While the number of victims continues to rise in India, it is decreasing in many other leading nations, including China, the only country with more inhabitants than India.

In 2006, the number of traffic deaths in India topped its bigger neighbour China for the first time. Two years later, 46,000 more people had died in traffic accidents in India than in China.

To understand the reasons for this deadly development, all one needs to do is to take a drive on India's streets, where the right of way has been replaced by might is right.

Buses race into roundabouts without braking. Lorries do not brake for cars, and cars do not stop for bikes or motorcycles. The lowest on the ladder are pedestrians, for whom no-one slows down.

Motorcyclists are required to wear helmets, but most of the protective headgear would not pass quality standards in many developed nations. Women and children - whole families often travel on two-wheelers - usually forego helmets entirely.

It is not really mandatory to use indicators in traffic, and drivers in India often wave to show they plan on turning.

But since more and more cars are equipped with air conditioning, windows now stay closed, and many vehicles carry stickers with the warning: 'Air-conditioned car - no hand signals.'

Buses and lorries are often overloaded, but corrupt police officers look the other way.

Technical failures also cause many accidents, as there are no compulsory regular technical inspections in India. Brakes often do not work properly and tyres are worn.

Many drivers do not bother to stop at the workshop because of a broken light, though they may do so for a deficient horn. Horns are in constant use in India, not necessarily to warn of a possible accident, but as a signal that one is approaching from behind.

Many drivers do not look into the rear view mirror, and most exterior mirrors are folded in anyhow to better manoeuvre through the packed streets.

In addition, it is not uncommon to see animals occupying the streets, even in New Delhi - with cows, elephants, camels or water buffalo stoically making their way in traffic. Cars brake for ox-carts, while horses are steered over intersections by their riders.

And then there are dogs and monkeys racing on and along the streets, sparking evasive manoeuvres by drivers who are talking on their cell phones at the same time.

Those who survive an accident cannot count on the help of other road users, who do not necessarily come to the rescue. They fear being accused by family members of the victim or the police of being involved in the accident.

'The extent of road accidents and victims in India is alarming,' the Transport Ministry warned recently. But it does not look like rapid solutions are on the way.