Possible to reduce accidents by half in a decade, would prevent 1.7 million deaths a yr

By Bharat Dogra

Accidents are one of the biggest causes of human distress. In any single year, about 3.5 million persons are likely to die because of accidents. However it is the number of injuries and disabilities resulting from all accidents (including road, workplace, domestic and other accidents) which is truly staggering—about 600 million in a year (including about 395 million injuries caused in workplace accidents alone, according to ILO data).
Several serious injuries and disabilities caused by accidents can cause a lot of distress and disruption in the life of victims and their family members. By their very definition accidents are sudden happenings which take victims and those close to them by surprise. Hence shock and trauma associated with accidents can be very high. While much can be done and of course should be done to reduce this distress, the best line of defense is to try to reduce the possibility of accidents as much as possible. By identifying carefully the most common causal factors and making well thought-out efforts to reduce them, working simultaneously on several fronts, it is possible to bring a significant reduction in the number of accidents within a relatively short time. Reducing accidents by half within a decade or so at global level is an achievable target. This would mean preventing 1.7 million deaths in a year and preventing as many as 300 million painful injuries and disabilities in a single year, compared to present levels.
For this we need to simultaneously reduce road and all transport accidents, workplace accidents, accidents in educational institutions, domestic accidents and accidents at all crowded places.
The most important tasks in the world at present are—checking climate change and other serious environmental problems, creating a no-war future and eliminating all weapons of mass destruction to protect the life-nurturing capacity of earth. Although this is the most important global task, there are many difficulties in this. While engaging in this protection with great dedication, side-by-side we need a more soft target which can give us a sense of achievement and teach us how best to achieve international cooperation for common objectives. If we can save 1.7 million human lives and avoid 300 million painful injuries in a year, this would surely give all people involved in such a word-wide campaign a great sense of purpose and a real sense of achievement which they can carry forward further for protecting the basic and essential life-nurturing conditions of our planet.
Hence a worldwide campaign to prevent and reduce accidents as much as possible can be one of the most promising and noble areas for working together at international level. This can be one of the most creative campaigns with possibilities of very useful, innovative and exciting work at the level of families, communities, educational institutions, trade unions, governments as well as non-government organizations.

---
The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include "Planet in Peril", "Man over Machine" and "A Day in 2071"

Comments

From plagiarism to proxy exams: Galgotias and systemic failure in education

By Sandeep Pandey* Shock is being expressed at Galgotias University being found presenting a Chinese-made robotic dog and a South Korean-made soccer-playing drone as its own creations at the recently held India AI Impact Summit 2026, a global event in New Delhi. Earlier, a UGC-listed journal had published a paper from the university titled “Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis,” which became the subject of widespread ridicule. Following the robotic dog controversy coming to light, the university has withdrawn the paper. These incidents are symptoms of deeper problems afflicting the Indian education system in general. Galgotias merely bit off more than it could chew.

Farewell to Saleem Samad: A life devoted to fearless journalism

By Nava Thakuria* Heartbreaking news arrived from Dhaka as the vibrant city lost one of its most active and committed citizens with the passing of journalist, author and progressive Bangladeshi national Saleem Samad. A gentleman who always had issues to discuss with anyone, anywhere and at any time, he passed away on 22 February 2026 while undergoing cancer treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He was 74.

From ancient wisdom to modern nationhood: The Indian story

By Syed Osman Sher South of the Himalayas lies a triangular stretch of land, spreading about 2,000 miles in each direction—a world of rare magic. It has fired the imagination of wanderers, settlers, raiders, traders, conquerors, and colonizers. They entered this country bringing with them new ethnicities, cultures, customs, religions, and languages.

Sergei Vasilyevich Gerasimov, the artist who survived Stalin's cultural purges

By Harsh Thakor* Sergei Vasilyevich Gerasimov (September 14, 1885 – April 20, 1964) was a Soviet artist, professor, academician, and teacher. His work was posthumously awarded the Lenin Prize, the highest artistic honour of the USSR. His paintings traced the development of socialist realism in the visual arts while retaining qualities drawn from impressionism. Gerasimov reconciled a lyrical approach to nature with the demands of Soviet socialist ideology.

The 'glass cliff' at Galgotias: How a university’s AI crisis became a gendered blame game

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* “She was not aware of the technical origins of the product and in her enthusiasm of being on camera, gave factually incorrect information.” These were the words used in the official press release by Galgotias University following the controversy at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi. The statement came across as defensive, petty, and deeply insensitive.

Public money, private profits: Crop insurance scheme as goldmine for corporates

By Vikas Meshram The farmer in India is not merely a food provider; he is the soul of the nation. For centuries, enduring natural calamities and bearing debt generation after generation while remaining loyal to the soil, this community now finds itself trapped in a different kind of crisis. In February 2016, the Modi government launched the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) with the stated objective of freeing farmers from the shackles of debt. It was an ambitious attempt to provide a strong safety net to cultivators repeatedly devastated by excessive rainfall, drought, and hailstorms.

Development at what cost? The budget's blind spot for the environment

By Raj Kumar Sinha* The historical ills in the relationship between capital and the environment have now manifested in areas commonly referred to as the "environmental crisis." This includes global warming, the destruction of the ozone layer, the devastation of tropical forests, mass mortality of fish, species extinction, loss of biodiversity, poison seeping into the atmosphere and food, desertification, shrinking water supplies, lack of clean water, and radioactive pollution.

Conversion laws and national identity: A Jesuit response response to the Hindutva narrative

By Rajiv Shah A recent book, " Luminous Footprints: The Christian Impact on India ", authored by two Jesuit scholars, Dr. Lancy Lobo and Dr. Denzil Fernandes , seeks to counter the current dominant narrative on Indian Christians , which equates evangelisation with conversion, and education, health and the social services provided by Christians as meant to lure -- even force -- vulnerable sections into Christianity.

Thali, COVID and academic credibility: All about the 2020 'pseudoscientific' Galgotias paper

By Jag Jivan* The first page image of the paper "Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis" published in the Journal of Molecular Pharmaceuticals and Regulatory Affairs , Vol. 2, Issue 2 (2020), has gone viral on social media in the wake of the controversy surrounding a Chinese robot presented by the Galgotias University as its original product at the just-concluded AI summit in Delhi . The resurfacing of the 2020 publication, authored by Dharmendra Kumar , Galgotias University, has reignited debate over academic standards and scientific credibility.

Search This Blog