Road Safety in India
- When it comes to both traffic share and economic contribution, it is the most popular form of transportation in India.
- The rise in traffic accidents and traffic collision fatalities is a negative externality of the nation’s motorization, urbanisation, and road network growth.
- By 2025, there will be around 5 (twenty two point five) million end-of-life cars in India.
Primary causes of traffic accidents:
- Infrastructure shortcomings
- Risks and negligence include driving too fast, driving while intoxicated, etc.
- Distraction: Using a phone to converse
- Overloading: In an effort to reduce shipping expenses.
- Ignorance: With reference to the significance of safety measures such as airbags and anti-lock brake systems, among others.
- The main factor for traffic accidents is either missing or insufficient signage.
What actions are necessary?
- To increase road safety, we require prompt, well-coordinated, and evidence-based actions.
- drastically cut down on the everyday tragedies that lie behind the startling figures.
- A shift in public opinion, coordinated political will at the federal, state, and local levels, and strategic investments in traffic safety measures
- Enforcing the wearing of seatbelts by both drivers and their passengers must be a priority.
- Wearing a seatbelt lowers the risk of death and major injuries for rear-seat passengers by 25% and the risk of mortality and injuries for drivers and front-seat passengers by 45% to 50%.
- It is imperative that both motorcycle riders and their pillion passengers wear helmets.
- Wearing a helmet properly can reduce the risk of fatal injuries by 42%.
- Reduced speeding and zero tolerance for drunk driving are required.
- According to a government report, 70% of road fatalities in India are caused by speeding.
- Enhancing road infrastructure is necessary since there are far too many unsafe roads, notwithstanding recent government initiatives that have sped up improvements.
Broad-based public awareness initiatives:
- with the recently launched UN worldwide campaign #MakeASafetyStatement for road safety
- International celebrities are involved.
- One of the Sustainable Development Goals, established in 2015, is to cut the number of road accidents-related deaths and injuries worldwide by half.
- Application of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 by the national government
- The government improved the way it collected crash data.
- Experts will be able to lessen crashes by having a better understanding of where and why they are happening.
The Way Ahead:
- With its robust automobile industry, massive IT companies, helmet makers, and significant road investment, India has some of the best prospects for developing an effective framework for managing road safety.
- Major cities’ police departments, like New Delhi, the nation’s capital, are implementing contemporary technology.
- such as advanced traffic management systems, which significantly improve traffic flow regulation and reduce the risk of collisions.
- The Special Envoy has collaborated with helmet manufacturers to develop an affordable ventilated United Nations standard helmet that can be purchased for less than $20, even in India, in order to promote access to safe helmets.
- We must take a closer look at global best practices and achievements and then modify them to fit the unique requirements and conditions of India.
- Although road safety is a complicated and multifaceted issue, there can be significant advantages to tackling it.
- The UN’s Second Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030 calls for a complete safe-system approach, and the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act of 2019 must be fully implemented.
