A STUDY ON FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE TWO WHEELER ACCIDENTS

WITHREFERENCE TO COIMBATORE - SATHYAMANGALAM ROAD

The tremendous increase in the number of vehicles on Indian roads has also led to an
increase in road accidents. India accounts for 10 per cent of the global road crash fatalities.
Statistics shows that globally more than a million people die due to road accidents every year; if
we do not do anything about it by 2020 this figure will double. Vehicular safety standards are a
problem areaRoad accidents have become a normal and re-occurring phenomenon in Nigeria
which constitutes a menace in modern times. The purpose is to create awareness on how
occurrence of accidents among commercial motorcyclist can be brought to a minimal level
through the use of information. The city Police's Traffic Investigation Wing (TIW says only 10
per cent of the people in Coimbatore city wear helmets. The number of accidents registered by
the wing in 2011 was 1,126, of which 254 were fatal. 449 accident cases were registered till May,
2012, 112 of those were fatal. While the TIW says it does not have a specific number of head
injury cases, it says the number of two-wheelers involved in these accidents was more. The
number of deaths due to road accidents and persons injured in accidents in Coimbatore District,
excluding the city, has come down during the first half of this calendar year. This is evident
according to statistics collected from the District Crime Records Bureau (DCRB) from January
to June for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014. The statistics shows that a total of 341 persons lost
their lives in road accidents in rural Coimbatore from January to June this year. In the
corresponding period in 2012, 463 persons were killed in accidents.
This research paper focuses on the factors that influence high rate of two wheeler
accidents on the Coimbatore to Sathyamangalam road. Among, factors that significantly
contributing to increasing rate of commercial motorcycle accidents are over speeding, wrong
overtaking, bad roads, sudden mechanical defects, alcoholic intake etc. It was discovered that
commercial motorcycle riders do not comply with Road Safety Highway Codes. The paper
therefore provides valuable information on causes of accidents especially among commercial
motorcyclist in and how those causal factors can be managed.