Fatalities fall however variety of grievously injured goes up | Thiruvananthapuram Information – The Occasions of India

T’puram: Whereas highway accident deaths in Thiruvananthapuram haven’t risen sharply over the previous three years, official knowledge reveal a worrying surge in grievous accidents, signalling a silent public well being and financial disaster. Between 2022 and 2025, the entire variety of highway accidents reported in metropolis elevated from 1,825 to 2,500, whereas accidents in rural areas rose from 3,260 to three,545. Throughout the identical interval, fatalities declined from 171 to 144 and deaths in rural areas fell from 373 to 303.

Officers attributed the discount in fatalities to improved trauma care, sooner emergency response, and stricter enforcement of helmet and seat belt norms. A decline in head-on collisions has additionally contributed to fewer deaths, they mentioned. Nonetheless, the autumn in fatalities has been accompanied by a pointy rise in grievous accidents.Within the metropolis, circumstances involving grievous accidents elevated from 1,422 in 2022 to 1,977 in 2025. Rural areas recorded an identical rise, from 2,622 to 2,995 throughout the identical interval. The sample is mirrored throughout Kerala as nicely. Statewide knowledge present that grievous accidents rose from 31,584 in 2022 to 36,245 in 2025, whereas the variety of individuals grievously injured elevated from 34,638 to 39,904.Consultants warn that the rising burden of grievous accidents has long-term social and financial penalties. “Many survivors of grievous accidents require extended therapy and are unable to return to work for prolonged intervals. This locations a heavy monetary burden on households,” mentioned Godwin S Okay, a well being economist and economics college member at Govt School for Girls, Thiruvananthapuram, who has carried out in depth analysis on the financial influence of highway accident accidents. He mentioned that in circumstances involving drunk driving, the medico-legal course of usually turns into sophisticated, resulting in delays in therapy and extra stress for sufferers and households. “In a single hospital admission, the price of treating grievous accidents can vary from Rs 30,000 to 1 lakh, relying on the severity. For a lot of households in Kerala, this will severely have an effect on livelihoods,” he added. Site visitors officers pointed to unsafe driving practices as the first contributors to the severity of accidents. R Suresh, assistant commissioner of site visitors, mentioned rash and drunk driving contributed to just about 80% of grievous harm circumstances.