Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Nov 18: Urban areas have been witnessing an increasing number of vehicles with each passing day. These accidents have claimed the lives of vehicle drivers, riders, pillion riders, co-passengers and passengers in addition to a high number of innocent pedestrians. The death of pedestrians is a cause for concern. It appears that most of the vehicle drivers view pedestrians either walking by the side or crossing the road with derision and treat them as impediments.
A well-known entrepreneur from the city had succumbed to injuries caused when he was hit by a two-wheeler. A person had died after a car knocked him down opposite Kadri police station a few days earlier. Every month, various accidents are registered, and out of them, over ten relate to pedestrians.
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In 1,460 accidents which happened between 2017 and 2021, 180 died and 1,123 were injured. In 2,019, 857 accidents happened in which 124 were killed and 736 injured. In 2020 and 2021, because of the coronavirus pandemic, vehicular movement was less and accidents were considerably reduced. However, of late, there has been an alarming increase in the number of accidents.
In the year 2019, 124 had died in various accidents out of which 50 pedestrians lost their lives. Out of 144 deaths which occurred in 2018, 57 were pedestrians. Thirty-eight more pedestrians were killed in 2020 and 19 in 2021. Many deaths of pedestrians are happening in accidents occurring between Kulur and Surathkal when they cross the highway.
In the city, many roads do not have footpaths and the pedestrians are forced to walk by the side of the roads. In many cases, deaths of pedestrians are caused when vehicles come from the rear side and hit them. Lack of footpaths, reckless driving, use of mobile phones when driving, a sense of neglect towards pedestrians, failure of the administration to ensure pedestrian safely, driving under the influence of intoxicants, negligence of pedestrians, error in judgement when crossing the road, parking of vehicles on footpaths etc have been causing accident involving the pedestrians.