New Delhi, May 7 (IANS) The number of children killed in road accidents in the national capital went up from 145 in 2013 to 167 in 2014, an advocacy group said on Thursday.
Citing figures revealed under the Right to Information (RTI), the SaveLIFE Foundation said the number of children injured during the same period rose from 855 to 918.
“Delhi is not the only state to have reported an increase in child mortality on roads. Chhattisgarh has reported a 55 percent jump in deaths of children in road accidents with 211 deaths recorded in 2014 as against 136 in 2013.
“Maharashtra has reported a 23.5 percent increase with 434 children killed in road accidents in 2014 as against 351 in 2013,” it said.
However, states like Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh reported a slight drop.
In 2013, Tamil Nadu recorded 380 deaths and in 2014 the number fell to 351. In Uttar Pradesh the number of children killed in road accidents has fallen from 825 to 638 in the corresponding period.
Chandigarh too recorded a reduction from eight deaths in 2013 to five in 2014.
Meanwhile, Punjab, Haryana, Kerala, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh failed to respond to RTI query.
“As the world celebrates UN Global Road Safety Week, 2015 with the theme ‘Save Kids Lives’, children on Indian roads continue to face a grim scenario as every day 20 children under the age of 14 are killed in road accidents in India,” said Piyush Tewari, founder and CEO of SaveLIFE Foundation.
“Unless we legislate and enforce strict safety measures to protect them, including child restraint systems, child helmets, adult accountability and child zones, the situation is not expected to improve,” he added.