No Traffic, No Rules: Why Road Crashes Are Occurring in a Lockdown

In the first five weeks of the lockdown, between 24 March to 4 May, around 140 lives were lost due to road crashes across the country.

(Photo: The Quint)

The lockdown may have cleared the traffic from India's roads, but not road accidents.

A survey conducted by SaveLIFE Foundation, an NGO that works on road safety, found out that in the first five weeks of the lockdown, between 24 March to 4 May, around 140 lives were lost due to road crashes across the country.

A 100 of these deaths were recorded in nine states alone – Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Assam, Kerala, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Punjab and Tamil Nadu. Punjab topped the chart with the highest number of death, 42 to be specific, followed by Kerala and Delhi.

Even as the nation is under a lockdown, why are there considerable incidences of road accidents? What makes our roads so accident prone? Is it negligent drivers or badly engineered roads?

Tune in to The Big Story, where we speak to CEO and Founder of SaveLIFE Foundation, Piyush Tewari, on what makes India’s roads so hazardous.