Road accidents in Uttarakhand are nearly twice as fatal as than the national average of road accidents in the country, necessitating substantial efforts at both the government and public awareness levels for prevention. SDC hosted an interactive dialogue on road safety at the Dehradun Press Club in collaboration with Sardar Bhagwan Singh University.
On the occasion, renowned Neurosurgeon Dr. Mahesh Kuriyal emphasized that 80% of road accidents and related deaths can be prevented through individual responsibility for safety, strict adherence to traffic rules, and improved compliance with wearing helmets and seatbelts, along with curbing overspeeding. India, with just one percent of the world's vehicles, witnesses 10 percent of global road accidents. This is a particularly significant challenge for Uttarakhand.
Public Relations Officer of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Inspector Lalita Negi, shared efforts at the government level to raise awareness about traffic rules and discourage drunk driving. However, the success of these initiatives relies on public participation.
SDC Founder Anoop Nautiyal stressed the need to hold the government accountable for road safety in addition to individual responsibility and adherence to traffic rules. The lack of public transport in hilly and rural areas contributes to accidents due to overloading, posing a challenge that the government must address. Despite approximately 1,000 annual road accident-related deaths in the state, the government's response remains limited to sympathy, compensation, and investigations.
