Drunk drivers are responsible for only one-sixth of accidents on Indian highways, a recent study by a leading agency on road-related research in the country has revealed, dismissing a popular perception.
Crashes involving drunk drivers were 620 as compared to 3,316 accidents involving sober drivers, the study conducted over a five-year period by Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) said.
Losses incurred due to mishaps by the non-drunk drivers were Rs 104 crore whereas the losses incurred by crashes involving drunk drivers were Rs 20 crore.
Of the 3,316 cases involving non-drunk driving, 371 were fatal in nature and 942 were serious ones. In case of road crashes cases involving drunken drivers, of 620 cases, 63 were fatal while 221 were serious in nature.
The study was based on data collected from 11 national highways across the country mostly focusing on the Golden Quadrilateral over a five-year period. The data also analysed the FIRs registered at different police stations across the country.
S Velumurugan, one of the co-authors of the paper and a scientist with the CRRI, says in crashes that involved non-drunk drivers, there was a high level of violation of road safety and traffic rules.
"90 per cent of the non-drunk crashes were reported on intra-urban highways (ones connecting to cities) where traffic enforcement is minimal," Velumurugan said.
Classifying the economic losses suffered, the research states that losses involving non-drunk cases were to the tune of Rs 38.15 crore in fatal crashes and Rs 43 crore for serious accidents. The losses suffered in major and minor accidents were Rs 23 crore.
The losses suffered due to the crashes involving drunk drivers were far less. Losses suffered in fatal injuries by drunk drivers were over Rs 6.47 crore, whereas losses in serious injuries cases were Rs 10.3 crore. In major and minor accidents, losses were more than Rs 3.5 crore.
In case of drunk driving incidents, Velumurugan said diminishing "physical response" was largely responsible for crashes. He said the crashes involving drunk drivers received serious injuries from 10 PM to 1 AM.
Researchers also observed that irrespective of whether the drivers were drunk or not drunk, rear-end collisions were more serious in nature.
