Traffic trends similar in India,China

Despite a marked difference in the per capita income and the number of traffic fatalities in India and China,road safety conditions in both the countries are similar,a 2009 report has stated. Though India records a higher traffic fatality rate,the common problem areas identified in both the countries are fatalities among pedestrians and other non-motorists,motorcycles and night-time driving.

The observations were made in a detailed report,Road Safety in India: Challenges and Opportunities,prepared by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI),which was released by the Society of Indian Automobiles Manufacturers (SIAM) on Monday.

Estimates indicate in India,95 per million persons die of traffic fatalities annually as against 68 per million in China.

The notable differences are that India has lower per capita income,nearly two and a half times less than Chinas but proportionally more motorised two-wheelers,a higher fatality rate per population,more older people among the fatalities,proportionally fewer females among the fatalities and a less advanced network of access-controlled expressways, the report points out.