New Delhi, Sep 7: The use of mobile phones while driving claimed the lives of 2,138 people in 2016 and Uttar Pradesh has topped the list with most number of people breaking laws. Uttar Pradesh is followed by Haryana. Maharashtra reported 172 deaths due to use of mobile phones while driving while Delhi reported only two.
According to a report released by transport ministry, faulty speed-breakers, potholes, and under-construction roads take 26 lives every year. This is the first time the transport ministry has released such data from each state.
The report said that every hour, 17 people die in road accidents. The officials of the ministry also admitted that most of the accidents happening due to use of mobile phones by drivers or pedestrians go unreported.
Road transport minister Nitin Gadkari said that people using mobile phones and taking selfies while driving are “increasingly posing a greater risk to themselves and others as well”, reported.
The World Health Organization (WHO) also says that the people talking on mobile phones face four times higher risk of a crash.
Delhi police special commissioner (traffic) Ajay Kashyap said that messaging or taking selfies while driving or walking on the road is a big traffic risk. He also said that the exact reason of the accident go unreported as it gets difficult to specify the cause. “People are addicted to them,” he said.
Earlier this year, SaveLife Foundation released a survey which stated that nine out of 10 drivers felt that using mobile phones while driving was unsafe. However, 47 per cent admitted to having received calls while behind the wheel.
It also mentions that 3,396 people died in accidents caused by faulty speed-breakers, 2,324 died due to potholes, and 3,878 people died on roads under construction.
“Ill-designed speed-breakers have become a menace and more people are left injured for no fault of theirs. These are illegal. We will soon come out with a new design of speed-breakers,” Gadkari was quoted as saying.
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