Call it the positive side effect of Covid-19 pandemic, but the lockdowns and subsequent restriction on movements drastically reduced the road fatalities inGujarat.
In fact, with drop of 20.7% compared to the cases in 2019 (8,440), it was the decades lowest death number for the state at 6,693. The data was shared in National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) publication Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2020.
While it was the lowest fatalities at least since 2011 for Surat and Vadodara that recorded drop of 36% and 7.5% respectively, Ahmedabad and Rajkot recorded drop of 20% and 22% – their lowest since 2013. However, on the other hand, the state recorded increase in pedestrian deaths from 728 in 2019 to 824 in 2020, rise of 13%. Moreover, analysis of the vehicles involved reveal that two-wheelers, which were involved in 35% of the fatal accidents in 2019, rose to 41% in 2020. On the other hand, cars share remained the same at 14%.
According to the report, 75% or three-fourths of the fatal road accidents were attributed to over-speeding. The rural and semi-urban areas accounted for 77% of the fatal accidents, whereas the rest 33% were recorded in the urban areas according to the report. City-based road safety experts said that apart from the higher speed of vehicles, lack of quicker medical attention after the incident could also be the reason for higher fatality in areas outside cities.
In terms of accidental deaths, Gujarat recorded 13% drop in numbers, from 23,770 in 2019 to 20,644 in 2020.