The fatality rate per 10,000 vehicles fell steadily from 10.30 in 2005 to 2.10 in 2021 in the State, as per statistics collated by Kerala Road Safety Authority (KRSA). The figure had touched 2.0 in 2020.
It declined to 9.40 in 2007, 7.90 in 2009, 6.80 in 2011, 5.30 in 2013, 4.50 in 2015, 3.70 in 2017, and 3.30 in 2019. This despite the number of motorised vehicles in Kerala increasing four-fold, from 40 lakh in 2007 to 160 lakh in 2021.
Official sources attributed it to enhanced safety consciousness, better adherence to wearing helmet, seat belt, improved safety standards of vehicles and reliance on CCTVs to penalise violators.
While appreciating the fall in fatality rate over the years, road safety experts exhorted KRSA and enforcement agencies to take a cue from their counterparts in Tamil Nadu who initiated a string of measures to rein in accidents.
