The number of road accident deaths in Calcutta in 2020 has gone down to 201 from 267 the year before, police said.
Yet, the number of fatalities was on the higher side considering the fact that there was little traffic on the roads during the lockdown.
According to the police records accessed by The Telegraph, 2020 saw a dip in the percentage of pedestrian deaths on the roads but an increase in the number of motorcyclist and pillion rider deaths in the city. Similarly, the year also reported a record increase in the number of accidents involving cars –— the highest in the last three years.
A section of the police feels that the number of accidents should have been less as there was very little traffic on the roads during the lockdown. “Although that is the perception, but in reality, motorists and motorcyclists became more reckless when there was no traffic on the roads…,” said a senior officer at Lalbazar.
As many as 22 fatal accidents, mostly involving two-wheelers, were reported in March, April and May when the city was under complete lockdown. In 2019, as many as 65 road deaths were reported in Calcutta during the same time period .
With the beginning of the unlock phase, inadequate public transport and the scare of pandemic forced thousands of Calcuttans to commute in private vehicles, including bicycles.
The police said, 23 cyclists — who are most vulnerable to accidents — died in road accidents in 2020, compared to 14 in 2019.
As number of private cars rose on the roads, accidents caused by them also increased. In 2020, cars caused as many as 29 road deaths compared to 19 in 2019.
Along with private cars, the number of motorcycles and scooters had also increased during the lockdown months, which led to rise in the number of two-wheeler accidents as well. As many as 64 two-wheeler riders and pillion riders died in road accidents in 2020, compared to 58 in the year 2019
Despite the increase in the number of two-wheeler deaths and cases involving private cars, the police said, the positive part was the decline in the number of pedestrian deaths in the city.
“Every year more than 50 per cent of the people who die in road accidents are pedestrians. But last year, the lockdown forced people to stay indoors and there was a sharp decline in the number of pedestrian deaths,” said a senior officer.