Haryana has been listed among 15 states of India ranked worst in terms of road safety by the Union ministry of roads and highways in its latest annual report released last week.
As many as 5,120 people lost their lives in 11,258 road accidents that took place in Haryana in 2017, a slight increase from 2016 when state recorded 5,024 deaths in 11,234 accidents.
The statistics show that 14 lives were lost in the state every day last year, highest when compared to other states in north India.
The data shows that a maximum of 1,256 casualties occurred in 2,817 hit-and-run accidents, highlighting public apathy towards the victims.
As many as 1,087 road accident victims in Haryana were pedestrians.
According to the report, most of the districts in the state do not have functional crosswalks or footpaths for pedestrians, leading to high number of fatal accidents.
The data records 15 deaths and 35 injuries in accidents caused due to stray animals on roads.
Haryana, in particular, has seen a spike in number of stray cows roaming on streets causing minor and major accidents every other day.
{{/usCountry}}Haryana, in particular, has seen a spike in number of stray cows roaming on streets causing minor and major accidents every other day.
{{/usCountry}}While the overall percentage of road accidents and fatalities in India saw a decline in 2017 from the previous year, Haryana was among the few states where the numbers either remained the same or went slightly up.
50% fatal mishaps on state highways
In Haryana, around 50% accidents leading to casualties happened on state highways while another 35% happened on the national highways.
Among the violations, 40 people were using mobile phones while driving when they met with accident and were killed. As many as 171 riding without helmets on two-wheelers lost lives in accidents.
Similarly, 870 people were not wearing seat belts when they were killed in accidents.
The report said though these violations cannot be conclusively and solely blamed for deaths, a large number of accidents (3,562) involved people driving without having a driver’s licence.