KOCHI: Despite adopting several measures to curb road mishaps in the district, the number of accidents is on the rise every year. Ernakulam again has topped the list of districts with the highest number of road accidents in the state.Over 537 people lost their lives in road mishaps in 2011 in the district. There were over 6,000 accident cases in the district in 2011. Though there is a fall in the number of accidents in Kochi, the picture is different in Ernakulam rural where over 4,500 accident cases were reported in 2011 in which 355 people died.Meanwhile, the total number of accidents reported in the rural areas in 2010 was 3,967 in which 318 death cases were reported. More than 2,000 accident cases were reported in the city limits in 2011. As many as 182 persons lost their lives.The report goes on to add that over 950 accidents occurred owing to rash driving. Surprisingly, a majority of these accidents happened during day time. According to the police, one of the major reasons behind the high accident rate is the high density of vehicles in Ernakulam compared to other districts.“If you look at the data, about 30 per cent of the accident death cases involved two-wheeler vehicles. We lack proper roads to accommodate the high density of vehicles. If vehicle density falls after the commencement of Metro Rail, we hope that accident rates too will fall. The two-wheeler riders are the ones who mostly flout traffic rules,” a police official said.Another major fact is that of the 210 persons who died in bike accidents in the district, 142 were youngsters.“Rash and competitive driving is very high in Ernakulam. To an extent, the parents of these youngsters are also responsible for these mishaps as they buy fast bikes for their children. Of the 142 youngsters who died in accidents, 23 did not have driving licences as they were under-aged. Such people also put the life of pedestrians at risk,” he added.
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