UN Launches Road Safety Project in Four Indian States

Syllabus: GS2/Governance

Context

  • The United Nations launched a project in partnership with four States for a road safety financing framework.

About

  • To be implemented across Rajasthan, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Assam under the coordination of the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office. 
  • The project will focus on building national and sub-national capacities for the effective implementation of road safety action plans and on reducing road fatalities and serious injuries that lead to disabilities.
  • The project will be funded through the UN Road Safety Fund.

Road Traffic Deaths 

  • Global: The world was not on track to achieve the pledge to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by at least 50% by 2030 under the “Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030.”
    • There are those who are injured for the rest of their life, the World Bank estimates that this amounts to 7% of GDP.
  • India: India ranks first globally in terms of the number of annual road accident fatalities, claiming an estimated 153,972 lives annually, with a death rate of 15.4 per 100,000 (WHO).
    • Cities such as Delhi and Mumbai see the greatest concentration of accidents, due to high-vehicle density, poor traffic management, and narrow roads shared by cars, motorcycles, rickshaws, and pedestrians. 
    • Rural areas face a different crisis: long emergency response times and limited access to trauma care mean even survivable crashes can become fatal.
  • Economic Losses: Families lose breadwinners and the nation faces economic losses exceeding 3% of GDP annually.

Government Initiatives

  • National Road Safety Policy India, 2010: It emphasized the need for better road infrastructure, stricter enforcement of traffic rules, enhanced emergency medical services, public awareness campaigns, and improved post-crash care.
  • Electronic Detailed Accident Report (e-DAR)/ Integrated Road Accident Database (iRAD): Centralized system for reporting, managing, and analyzing road accident data to improve safety.
  • Speedy Assistance to Accident Victims:
    • Award ₹25,000 for Good Samaritans who help accident victims.
    • Faster compensation: ₹2.5 lakh for grievous hurt, ₹5 lakh for death.
    • Enhanced compensation for hit-and-run victims: ₹2 lakh for death, ₹50,000 for grievous hurt.
    • Simplified procedures for third-party insurance, including hired drivers.
  • Vehicle Fitness: Old, unfit vehicles contribute to accidents. The Ministry is setting up model Inspection and Certification Centers across States/UTs (28 States/UTs covered by 2024).
  • IIT Madras Collaboration: Establishing a Center of Excellence for Road Safety to develop new products, conduct research, and promote safety initiatives.
  • Accident Blackspot Rectification: Priority on identifying and improving accident-prone spots on National Highways through engineering measures.
  • Road Safety Audits: Mandatory audits for all highway projects at design, construction, and operation stages.
  • Brasilia Declaration: India was one amongst the initial 100+ countries to have signed the Brasilia Declaration in 2015 committing to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 3.6 i.e.to half the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes by 2030. 
  • Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, 2019: The act brought about higher penalties for traffic violations, including speeding, drunk driving, and not wearing helmets or seat belts. 

Way Ahead

  • With India’s road network spanning over 6.6 million kilometers, the second largest in the world, the challenge is vast but addressable.
    • Improved infrastructure, stricter enforcement of traffic laws, widespread helmet and seat belt use, and better emergency response systems could save tens of thousands of lives each year.
  • Global best practices show that countries that adopted a Systems Approach have been able to achieve their targets of 50% reduction in fatalities or are close to achieving it. 
  • India has done substantial research on road safety through premiere institutions like Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) and Central Road Research Institute (CRRI).
    • The government can collaborate with these institutes to improve policies and action plans. 
  • The corporate sector can play a role in helping strengthen road safety by funding research, spreading awareness. 

Source: TH

 

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