CHENNAI,April23,2012: Statistics can throw up a lot of surprises. Consider this: An
Australian study that looked at data from 1987 to 2004 has shown that black cars are 12% more likely to be involved in accidents than white cars.Research has shown that the link between vehicle
colour and safety - brighter, more visible colours are safer - can be used to make roads safer. However, the state has failed to implement a project it adopted three years ago, in which accident statistics including vehicle colour along with 200 other details were supposed to be collected from all fatal road mishaps.The GIS-based
Road Accident Data Management System (RADMS) introduced in 2009 was supposed to be handled by the
State Traffic Planning Cell (STPC).RADMS conceptualised elaborate collaboration between the departments of state transport, police and highways. It was introduced to study the cause of accidents, identify problem areas and find patterns that could help reduce the chances of similar accidents occurring in the future."Officials from the three departments have to go to the accident spot and collect a number of details," said an STPC official. "Tamil Nadu was the first state to introduce such a comprehensive system. However, we have not been able to collect the data properly because of a shortage of staff."Once collected, reports from across the state were to be sent to a central server in the DGP's office on Kamraj Salai in Chennai. But the server too has been hit by several glitches."For two months from January, the internet connection was disrupted. The internet service provider said ants had eaten into the cables," the official said. In the districts, he said, eight-hour power cuts have hindered the transmission of data.RADMS would have allowed the authorities to correct problem areas and evolve safer road practices. "Sometimes, the police file FIRs too quickly. Heavy vehicles are generally assumed to be the culprits in any accident. RADMS can give us a more scientific approach," another STPC official said.According to the automobile industry, customers in the country are mostly unaware of the link between vehicle colour and safety."Studies have shown that white cars are the safest, but because commercial and government cars are usually white, people usually do not want to buy white vehicles," a Maruti official said.Black is the most dangerous colour and silver comes a close second, with a 11% higher risk than white cars. Silver is also among the most preferred colours among
car buyers in India. "Shades of grey and silver are the most popular because they look luxurious," the
Maruti Suzuki official said.
