Road safety is topic that has been in discussion since ages. Despite drastic innovations on passenger as well as pedestrian safety, deaths and injuries on roads are increasing by the day. Negative response from a set of public to obey safety regulations is one of the reasons for mounting causalities.
A new study reports cements this understanding. The survey conducted by Samsung as part of its 'Safe India' campaign says nearly 60 percent of Indian two-wheeler users admit to instinctively answering their mobile phones when riding. The survey has been conducted across 12 cities in the country and it reveals that one-in-three car drivers tend to send a text message while driving if it is important.
Interestingly, the survey reports not only point out drivers and riders flouting rules, but also pedestrians. Of the pedestrians who responded, 64 percent said they regularly answer the phone while crossing a road, while a further 18 percent said they would immediately respond to a call from their superior at work, even if crossing a road.
The report has been released at a time when government data reveals one road accident fatality happens every four minutes in the country. It also needs to be noted that India has the highest number of road accidents globally, according to a report by Carnegie Mellon University, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi and National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli. What more, India accounts for over 50 percent of selfie-related fatalities in the world today.
The survey report further says 11 percent of two-wheeler riders would always answer their phone when on the road, regardless of who was calling. 30 percent would respond to calls from family while 18 percent of the riders responded to work-related calls.
On messaging or social media updates, a 23 percent of two-wheeler riders admitted to reading and replying to texts if the message they received is important.
