Road accidents claim 4,145 lives in 2011

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As many as 4,145 persons were killed in road accidents in the state last year. The number of accident deaths are more when compared to 2010. One-third of the people who were killed in road accidents were pedestrians. Motorcyclists too account for one-third of those killed in road accidents.According to police chief Jacob Punnoose, traffic alert and awareness programmes had a positive effect in places such as Thiruvananthapuram city, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod, where the number showed a decline last year. Meanwhile, accidents deaths were on a rise in rural areas of Kollam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad and Alappuzha. According to the police information cell, around 600-800 motorcyclists invited death by not wearing helmets.Urban areas and places such as Kozhikode and Kannur, where proper awareness were carried out, showed less number of such deaths.“Meanwhile, death due to head injury is on a rise among motorcyclists in rural areas, which is an alarming trend,” according to a release issued by the police Information Cell. The Police Department has requested public and organisations to support them in avoiding accident deaths. The police requested people to abstain from drunken driving, over speeding, reluctance to dim  headlight during night and rash overtaking.The Police Department is planning to introduce more measures to avoid fatal accidents.