At the crossroad, look to your right and look to the left and then cross the road! A fantasy of a bygone era? Now for pedestrians, crossing a road is a life-threatening hazard, as they have to escape the killer vehicles at every intersection.

It is sheer luck if one happens to spot a well-marked zebra crossing in Vadodara. Moreover, traffic signals are of ornamental value, for everyone defies it. "I have hardly come across any zebra crossing here. People cross the road at any point and time.

Sometimes, they squeeze in through a grilled road divider or jump across the median on to the main road. If at all you try to cross the road at any junction you are sure to be run over by motorists who seem to be always in a hurry," says Rekha Shah, a school teacher.

India ranks among the highest accident zones in the world. Every year over 300.000 accidents are reported and the fatality rate is 60,000. Studies on accidents, the world over, have shown that the human factor is the cause in most accidents.

In India, vehicle users are the causative factor, in 70 per cent of the mishaps. Pedestrians are responsible for 4.1 per cent and poor road condition accounts for mere 0.4 per cent of the accidents. Under the rule, one has to stop and allow a person crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing.

Even in the absence of a traffic signal,one has to stop and allow blind person or small children to cross a road. Says Manubhai Patel, president of Blind Welfare Council, "Most blind people rely on others to cross a road as no intersection in the city has beepers or sound signals for pedestrians like in metros. When we hear the crowd run across we follow them. It is very risky, but we have no choice nor anybody to help us."

If money shortage explains the missing zebra crossings or signages, lack of awareness and intent among road-users and motorists has only added to the fatalities. Says a senior civic official, "We have a severe fund crunch and hence cannot afford to paint and re-paint zebra-crossings. We need sponsors for road marking and to put up signages. Now we are only marking the median and dividers and installing road reflectors."

According to traffic department authorities, infrastructure deficiencies, lack of awareness and need for stricter check on traffic violation can help to improve road safety. "Encroachment along pavements, narrow walkways, callousness of motorists has resulted in pedestrians spilling on to the roads and haphazard roadcrossing habit. We need to sensitise the people on the importance of following the rule," says Rahim Yusuf Sheikh, assistant sub-inspector (traffic).

By sensitising road-users, we can lessen accidents by 25 per cent. People must inculcate discipline and follow traffic rules all the time," says Major Rameshkumar Mehdiratta, a social worker involved in traffic awareness programmes.