In News
- Recently, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) emphasized that efforts by all are necessary to reduce road accidents by 50 percent before the end of 2025.
About
- Efforts of MoRTH:
- It has undertaken multiple initiatives across all 4Es of Road Safety by:
- Engineering,
- Enforcement,
- Education and
- Emergency Care.
- This year, the Ministry observed the Road Safety Week (RSW) from 11th to 17th January 2023, under “Swachhata Pakhwada”, to propagate the cause of Safer Roads for all.
- It is committed to reduction in road fatalities and injuries.
- It has undertaken multiple initiatives across all 4Es of Road Safety by:
Causes of Road Accident in India
- Over Speeding and Undisciplined Driving: Approx 50000 accidents in India are on account of over speeding.
- Motorization and Urbanisation: Are also the main causes of road crash fatalities.
- Faulty Road Designs: Lack of caution signs, big potholes, illegal speed breakers.
- Ineffective and Inefficient road regulations: Due to lack of caution signs, big potholes, illegal speed breakers.
- Encroachment of Road: Unruly road congestion caused by hawkers disrupts normal movements of vehicles.
- Laxity in Driving License Regulations: Lax procedure in obtaining a driving license
- Inefficient Public Transport: The paucity of end to end public transport and its inefficiencies in India leads to the public opting for private vehicles.
Impact of Road Accidents
- Social effects of Road Traffic Accidents: Include loss of productivity of the victims, the cost of the legal system, burden on the health sector and loss of quality of life.
- Economic Effect: As per UN report, reducing road traffic deaths and injuries could result in substantial long-term income gains (Fair movement of goods, Logistics). India loses 3% of its GDP due to road accidents.
- Burden on Women: About 40% of women reported a change in their working patterns post-accident (More responsibility, more burden of family)
Image Courtesy: TH
Laws and Initiatives
- Global Initiatives:
- Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety (2015): Adopted at the second global high-level conference on road safety held in Brazil. (India signatory to this)
- International Road Assessment programme (iRAP): A registered charity dedicated to saving lives through safer roads.
- Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030: Sets an ambitious target of preventing at least 50% of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.
- Geneva Convention: India, being a signatory to Convention on International Road Traffic of 1949 (Geneva Convention).
- Indian:
- Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act: The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 was brought in to improve road safety in India by amending Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
- The amendment Act has introduced heavy fines for various offences
- 3-Year Action Agenda of NITI Aayog: Highlighting the Standardising the reporting of accidents & action map thereafter.
Way Ahead
- A law should be brought in the country to determine the working hours of truck drivers.
- Similar Programmes like the telethon and outreach campaign “Sadak Suraksha Abhiyan” needs to be launched to make people aware about Road Safety.
- Vehicle design and Road infrastructure need to be as per the safety standards.
- Proper training & capacity building is the need of the hour.
Source: AIR
