Thiruvananthapuram: Maybe, the roads in Kerala are finally getting safer.

There was a substantial decrease in road fatalities in the state between January and March this year, according to the Motor Vehicles Department.

Deaths due to road accidents in January were down by 14% compared with last year; similarly, in February, road fatalities decreased by 6% compared with last year; they fell by a substantial 30% in March from a year ago.

According to the Transport Department, 215 deaths were prevented in the first three months of the calendar year — 66 in January, 25 in February and 124 in March. 

In 2019, there were 11,026 road accidents between January and March. This year, the number fell to 10,592 during the same period. The number of deaths also reduced from 1,262 to 1,047. 

Moreover, 11,803 people got injured in accidents between January and March this year, less than the 12,295 cases during the same period last year.

In the whole of 2019, there were 41,111 road accidents in Kerala that resulted in 4,440 deaths.

The figures are an indication that the ‘Safe Kerala’ project, being jointly implemented by the Motor Vehicles Department and the Kerala Road Safety Authority, is yielding results, officials said.

The Supreme Court-appointed committee on road safety had set a target of bringing deaths down by 10%, but Kerala has been able to bring the fatalities down by 17% within months of implementing the ‘Safe Kerala’ project, they said.

The roads will become safer when the enforcement mechanism, facilities for vehicle convenience and digital systems are completed, the Motor Vehicles Department said.