By Shyam Dave is WASH, DRR and Climate Resilience Specialist.
This article discusses the importance of road safety and the roles of key stakeholders crucial in reducing the risk on roads.
India ranks high when it comes to number of accidents on the road. According to the official estimates of non-fatal Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs), it occupies 6th place in the top ten leading causes of death in India in the age group of 5-15 years, it is quite alarming to know that nearly 13,270 people were injured in India near educational institutions due to road traffic accidents in the year 2015. As per a study, nearly one-fourth of the schoolchildren irrespective of the urban or rural districts reported RTIs while commuting to the school. Children under the age of 18 accounted for 7.4% of fatalities – 11,168 annually or 31 daily – according to data of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Some facts that concern every family — like only 22 per cent of kids strap on seat belts. Road discipline is missing in the country and it is parents who will have a large role in educating the kids. While schools do train students in road safety, however, it is said that their experience is different when they see people violating the rules. Recently former Tata Sons chairperson and business tycoon Cyrus Mistry died in a road accident on Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway on 4th September 2022. The tragic death triggered fresh debate over road safety nationally. Despite the top-quality car, he was travelling in had seven airbags and had received a 5-star safety rating however as Mr Mistry was not wearing a seat belt, whereas according to the rules, passengers sitting in the, back seat should wear seat belts. For safety and precautions, both front-seaters and back-seaters need to wear seat belts and car should not be over speeding. A latest survey by the World Health Organisation revealed that a majority of respondents were aware about the presence of rear seat belts in the vehicles, but only seven per cent of them used it.
The national and state governments are deeply concerned about the growth in the number of road accidents, injuries and fatalities in recent years. It recognizes that road accidents have now become a major public health issue, and the victims are mainly the poor and vulnerable road users that includes school children. It also recognizes that regardless of jurisdictions, the Central and State Governments have a joint responsibility in reducing the incidence of road accidents, injuries and fatalities. With the rapid increase in the number of vehicles on the road, the traffic conditions are under a lot of pressure. Therefore, road safety is one of the most serious public health issues in our country. It has an impact on everyone, whether one drives a vehicle, walks or rides a cycle. Children are prone to road traffic injuries while commuting to school as pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and occupants of vehicles. Understanding these injuries is crucial for planning injury prevention programs. As per the available NCRB data, over 1.55 lakh lives were lost in road crashes across India in 2021 – an average of 426 daily or 18 every single hour – which is the highest death figures recorded in any calendar year so far, according to the official data. Deaths by accidents on roads increased by almost 17 per cent in 2021 compared to 2020, indicating an increase in the rate of deaths per 1,000 vehicles in India, according to the latest NCRB report. While the number of deaths due to crashes reached its highest last year, the number of road accidents and persons injured has come down compared to previous years, the report of the NCRB, under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The NCRB report’s data for 2021 also suggested that public transport, like buses, were safer than private modes of conveyance, like motorcycles. Of
the total deaths in road accidents, 44.5 per cent were riders of ‘two-wheelers’ followed by cars (15.1 per cent), trucks or lorries (9.4 per cent) and buses (3 per cent), the data revealed. The NCRB report said that the rate of deaths per thousand vehicles in 2021 increased from 0.45 in 2020 to 0.53 in 2021. Also, a majority (59.7 per cent) of the road accidents were due to over-speeding, accounting for 87,050 deaths and injuries to 2.28 lakh persons, it showed. Of the total road accidents, 59.7 per cent were reported in rural areas (2.40 lakh cases) and 40.3 per cent in urban areas (1.62 lakh cases). National Highways comprise only 2% of the total length of roads in India but account for 36% of the fatalities. Fatality rate per km of the road is the highest on NH with 0.67 deaths per km annually and this fact should be the guiding factor in future design considerations.
Road safety
Road safety refers to the measures which must be adopted by everyone while using roads. These safety methods are meant for reducing the risk of accidents and injuries or causalities on the road. The traffic rules must be followed by all users of roads including pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, and bus and truck drivers. The Safety methods also relate to the construction, layout of roads as well as traffic regulation systems. The road safety involves: a) the design of roads and highways; b) laws pertaining to traffic and vehicles; c) systems of traffic safety and control; d) driver education; e) school students’ education; f) mass education; g) traffic regulation and road safety signs; h) vehicle design; and g) motor vehicle safety inspection and maintenance. If everyone follows simple safety measures and traffic rules, ideally there should not be any road accidents.
Importance of Road Safety Road Safety
The major causes of road accidents are as follows.
(i) Lack of highway safety
(ii) Drunken driving
(iii) Driving in an exhausted state for long hours
(iv) Using cell phone while driving
(v) Over speeding or rash driving
(vi) Driving in wrong lanes
(vii) Turning without giving signal
(viii) Overtaking from wrong side
The road safety is a collective responsibility, therefore, each one of us has to take steps required for ensuring safety.
Role of key stakeholders for road safety:
The Ministry of Road Transport outlines roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders that suggests; Government:
(i) Develop stricter road safety polices
(ii) Generate funds for road safety awareness
(iii) Stricter enforcement of rules by government
(iv) Building better roads and highways
Role of General Community;
(i) Acceptance of road safety rules, regulations and policies
(ii) Participation in road safety awareness drives to enhance people’s knowledge about road safety
Role of Education Sector:
(i) Inclusion of road safety modules in school curriculum
(ii) Impart road safety education with the help of experts in this area
(iii) Impart effective driver training for learners as well as existing drivers
Role of Media:
(i) Communicate road safety messages through print and electronic media
(ii) Support road safety initiatives through responsible and objective reporting
Role of Health Professionals:
(i) Strengthen trauma facilities in our country.
(ii) Organise workshops for saving the lives of people in road accidents.
Barriers in Road Safety
(i) Negligence by civilians
(ii) Pathetic condition of roads
(iii) Unsafe vehicle design
(iv) Violation of road safety standards
(v) Lack of emergency services
(vi) Defects in highway designing
Road Safety Tips
Road safety is a result of efforts from all the sectors of the society including civilians and government officials. In addition to the human suffering, the estimated cost of road injuries is a noticeable amount in Gross National Product (GNP) per annum.
A few important road safety tips are as below:
(i) Do not use your mobile phone while driving.
(ii) Use seatbelts even while sitting at the back seat of the vehicle.
(iii) Do not drink and drive.
(iv) Always adhere to the speed limit.
(v) Take special care with regard to children, senior citizens and pedestrians.
(vi) Do not drive if tired.
(vii) Pedestrians should walk cautiously and make use of zebra crossing.
(viii) Stay alert and observant while driving.
(ix) Keep distance from other vehicles while driving.
(x) Always wear helmets and seatbelts.
The safety of the children on the road is the collective responsibility of all the stakeholders. The Child Road Safety discourse should focus on the 4E
approach; Education, Enforcement, Engineering, and Environment & Emergency care. There is an urgent need for mainstreaming the Child Road Safety into sectoral policies enabling the stakeholders understand the risk to manage it comprehensively.
Way Forward
Imposing stricter penalties (in the form of higher fines or longer prison sentences) will not affect road- user behaviour significantly. In general, the deterrent effect of a law is determined in part by the swiftness and visibility of the penalty for disobeying the law, but a key factor is the perceived likelihood of being apprehended on the road and sanctioned. As the streets are getting over crowded, the element of risk is also increasing daily. Safety would be enhanced mainly by separating local and through traffic on different roads, or by separating slow and fast traffic on the same road, and by providing convenient and safe road crossing facilities to vulnerable road users, enhancing awareness among people in general including the children around road safety and obeying the traffic rules.
