NEW DELHI, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Out of the total 147,000 people who died in road accidents across India in 2017, as many as 3172 people lost their lives because of using mobile phones while driving, reported English daily Hindustan Times on Monday.
Overall, mobile phone usage caused 8526 accidents and left 7830 people injured in the country, according to the data, issued by the ministry of road and transport and highways.
As per the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, which provides usage of mobile phones while driving is illegal in India and punishable with monetary fines or imprisonment.
A survey conducted by the "SaveLife Foundation (SLF)" in Delhi found that the situation had been worsening over the years even as motorists were compulsively using social media on the go and were not able to resist the urge to reply instantly.
"The drivers are using their mobile phones not only to communicate, but also to entertain themselves while driving in the city. The usage is leaving them distracted manifold now," the newspaper report quoted Piyush Tewari, the founder of SLF, as saying.
Meanwhile, Delhi Traffic Police officers point to a host of practical problems that plague the crackdown on mobile phone users on the streets. Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Alok Kumar was quoted as saying that detecting the violators was the biggest challenge.
In a bid to deceive the traffic cops, car-drivers use bluetooth gadgets connected to their mobile phones, and two-wheeler drivers hide their mobile phones inside their helmets near the ear, a traffic cop said.
The report further stated that drivers using mobile phones were four times more likely to be involved in a crash than drivers not using the device.
In Delhi, 20 percent of the respondents were almost involved in an accident or ended up crashing their vehicles because of using a mobile phone while driving. The percentage of those who witnessed or knew of such mishaps stood at 43 percent, found the survey by SFL.
