Constructive Accident Investigation – A Critical Aspect in Bringing Down the Number of Fatalities on Indian Roads

The single most important aim of an accident investigation is prevention.

As many as 410 people die, and 6400 get injured seriously on Indian roads.

These are alarming numbers when put in a yearly figure. Yet not much is done about it as human life doesn’t seem to have much value in our country.

Purpose of accident investigation

Many factors are usually responsible for the accident and rarely can be attributed to a single cause.

1. The purpose of a thorough investigation is to find out the cause of the accident and take corrective steps to control or eliminate similar accidents from happening in the future.
2. While the purpose of an accident investigation is to punish the rash and careless drivers and discourage them and others from driving rashly, there are more plausible reasons.
3. Many other factors can also be the cause of the accident, like the condition and design of the roads, the flow of traffic, pedestrian traffic, state of the traffic signals, to name a few. Therefore an accident investigation should also seek to identify these factors and suggest ways to resolve them.
4. Keeping in mind all the above factors, find solutions to help bring down the rate of accidents and deaths on Indian roads.

Benefits of Accident Investigation

• Impartial and detailed analysis of the cause of the accident.
• Punishing or penalising the errant driver, if any
• Announcing compensation, if any, for the victims or their families
• Provides legitimate proof for any policy claims and punitive damages.
• A deterrent for future such mistakes
• Setting an example for other road users
• Helps in identifying other plausible reasons like road engineering & design, traffic volume on a particular road, the condition of the road signs and traffic signals etc.
• Helps in forming strategies to resolve the problem areas.
• The biggest advantage of a constructive accident investigation and analysis will always be lowering of the rate of accidents and deaths on Indian roads.

As a progressive step in that direction, Institute Of Road Traffic Education (IRTE) has taken the initiative to set up India’s first mobile collision analysis & research laboratory CrashLab at Delhi. IRTE aims to revolutionise scientific collision investigation in the country and support the police and other investigating authorities in finding out the actual causes and consequences of collisions.

Let us all work together and do our individual bit in making Indian roads safer for us all.