Representational imageYoungsters are always energetic. That burst of adrenalin also results in deaths on the roads. A cursory look into the data of accident deaths at nights will tell you that most of the victims are youngsters, especially students. Youthful excitement becomes their nemesis on roads.
Our vision would be about 30 percent lower at night. That is supposed to slow us down at night, but not when it comes to young drivers and riders.
Night riders and drivers have only one thing on their mind: reach their destination faster. They forsake vital requirements such as food, rest and sleep in the pursuit of speed. They also throw caution to the wind in the process.
As the roads start to empty at night, we tend to flout traffic rules and do crazy stuff like overtaking dangerously. This disregard for rules puts our lives in danger.
Overtaking was the topmost contributor in the accident deaths reported in Kerala recently.
A vehicle covers 17 meters per second if it is running at 60 kilometer per hour. Anything can happen on these 17 meters. That moment when you sipped water or looked into your mobile phone or looked over your shoulder to have a chat with the other passengers in the back seat, you have covered more than 17 meters.
You have to be more vigilant when you do something on the go. We move faster when we are in a vehicle. Our surroundings change faster than we can fathom it.
When a vehicle collides at a speed of 50 kilometer per hour, the impact on the driver is greater than you can imagine. You can say it is something like falling from the third floor of a building.
If that vehicle was moving at 100 kilometer per hour, the impact would be similar to a fall from the 12th floor, not sixth floor.
Night-time accidents are scarier. Both vehicles would have crossed the speed limit when they collided with each other. If one vehicle was moving at 50 kilometer per hour and the other at 70 kilometer per hour, the impact of the collision would be similar to when travelling at 120 kilometers per hour.
Medical care is also slower to come by when accidents happen at night.
Idukki and Wayanad districts are known for their winding roads, while Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram and Alappuzha have more of straight roads. The districts in the coastal plain have more road accidents than those in the mountains. Idukki and Wayanad have the least number of accidents in Kerala.
Of course, cities like Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram have more vehicles on road. But that is not the only reason for the higher incidence of accidents. We are more vigilant when we drive on winding roads. We tend to relax when we are on straight roads.
There is a simple technique to stay away from danger: Make a resolution every minute you drive that you will not cause an accident.
(The writer is a Joint Regional Transport Officer and an instructor with the State Motor Vehicles Department)
