CHENNAI: There is a notion that traffic in the suburbs is less dangerous when compared to Chennai. But official data shows that more two-wheeler riders, commuting without helmets, have died in the suburbs.A total of 325 people died in Kancheepuram district while riding their two-wheelers without helmets since last January. This January, 14 people died in Kancheepuram and six in Chennai. Most of these accidents were reported near Rajakulam ( Sriperumbudur ), Thammal (along Arcot-Kancheepuram Road), OMR, ECR and GST Road. Experts have attributed this to poor enforcement of traffic rules by police on these stretches.“Vehicle movement has increased due to mushrooming of IT firms and police should increase vigil,” said M Radhakrishnan from Thozhan, an NGO that works towards road safety.But police said wider roads in the district encouraged riders to rev up beyond the permissible speed limit and there were other factors like drunk driving and triple riding that result in more casualties.Santhosh Hadimani , superintendent of police, Kancheepuram, said, “We have been spreading awareness. But most riders put on the headgear only after seeing the police and remove it once they cross the check points. This is risky. Riders should realise that the helmet for their own safety.” So far this year, 26,246 were booked for riding without helmets, said Hadimani.Besides deaths of helmet-less riders, overall fatalities in Kancheepuram district remain high, second in the state.Nearly 3,000 accidents are reported in the district every year and every third vehicle involved is a two-wheeler. The rate of fatal accidents goes up during weekends. Kancheepuram recorded 840 fatalities on Sundays in 2017 and 2018 (till June). This is twice than what was reported on weekdays.While Radhakrishnan attributed it to weekend parties and more drunk driving cases, officials said this was due to lack of specialist doctors in local hospitals during weekends. “This is why the number of casualties is high even after mobilising more ambulances near accident hotspots,” said a senior official from the state transport department.Emergency Management and Research Institute officials said there were not enough trauma care centres on OMR and ECR. When the injuries are serious, victims are taken to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) in Chennai, 40 km away, after being stabilised at secondary care centres in Chengelpet or Chromepet . It takes at least an hour for ambulances to reach the RGGGH. “Victims lose the golden hour and die,” said an EMRI official.To fill this void, the government had planned to make Kancheepuram a model district under the Tamil Nadu Accident and Intensive Care Initiative (TAEI) scheme. A hub and spoke model was to be adopted to set up four emergency centres and station 60 ambulances in the district. But the plan is yet to be implemented.

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