India’s Roads Are Unsafe as Only 41% Have Taken a Driving Test

88 percent of drivers in Agra did not take a driving test before getting a driver’s licence.

A Save Life Foundation survey says 88 percent of drivers in Agra did not take a driving test. 

(Photo: The Quint)

In the last decade alone, India has lost 1.3 million people to preventable road crashes, and another 5.3 million have been left disabled for life. India has the highest number of road crash fatalities, with a crash occurring every minute and one death every four minutes.

According to a survey by Save Life Foundation across 10 major cities in India, 59 percent of drivers have not taken a driving test while getting a licence. Forty-two percent of two-wheeler riders do not wear a helmet. And 63 percent of car drivers admit to not wearing a seat belt.

Not taking a driving test means that these drivers are out there not knowing the basic road rules, road signs, or how to handle emergency situations. No wonder we have the highest accident rate in the world and 80 percent of those surveyed also said they feel unsafe on Indian roads.

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