Road Safety (Part-1)

Road Safety

Introduction

As we all know that on our roads, there are more than 400 deaths daily. These deaths happened because of some reasons, which are simply repeating and for the same reasons people are dying on the roads.

Today India is in the number one position across 199 countries for most accident-related deaths. With only 1% of the total world’s vehicles, still contributing for around 11% of “Road Accidents” worldwide, speaks about the grave scenario we are encountering on our roads daily. Fatalities on roads not only destroy the family, it has its own impact on the economy of the country also. The nation loses a healthy and young manpower too.

A death caused by a disease or due to an accident, has entirely different impact on family. In first case the family will be prepared and it most of the cases, it gives required time to the family to come in terms with the situation. They know the possible outcome and keep themselves mentally ready.

Whereas in case of an accident a healthy individual is suddenly taken away from the waiting family, leaving no time to even think to both, i.e., the family and victim. This completely shatters a family.

Roads and relevant associated safety infrastructures are rapidly expanding in our country. So, we all collectively have to spread awareness and train our drivers to enhance the overall safety atmosphere on our roads, else the number of accidents may increase due to increase in average speed.

On roads, majority of the drivers are safe drivers,

yet they fail to understand the surprises thrown by others and then.

Circumstances on the roads pay the price.

Merely being a “safe driver” is not sufficient on the roads,

One has to be a “Defensive Driver”.

There are more than 10,000 children, under the age of 18 are dying in India because of road accidents, which mean more than 30 deaths per day. Parents are responsible for the safety of their wards, and they should never allow their minor children to drive on roads to create an unsafe situation by relevant horseplay.

Many times, parents may not be aware about the outside activities of their children. They should educate their wards about the road safety, without waiting for all of them to attain 18 years, as soon as they start moving on roads alone, for schooling. This way they can prepare them for their future behavior on roads. If we give them a vehicle at a younger age, it becomes very difficult for their adolescent mind, to differentiate between a video game and a powerful real machine. They somehow, finally would like to win the game only.

Ignorance about road safety is so deep rooted that very casually people sacrifice their precious life on roads. Behavior of drivers on the roads is so careless that the outcome can be just a near miss or an accident only. But we cannot ignore them altogether and leave to their fate, as such drivers create unsafe situations for safe drivers also.

India is a signatory to the second global high-level Conference on Road Safety held in Brazil in 2015, referred to popularly as the Brasilia Declaration, which resolved to halve the deaths and injuries from accidents by 2020 and work towards sustainable development by the participating countries by 2030.

The Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill, 2019 was passed by both the Houses of Parliament in August 2019 and has now become an Act. This will improve road safety, enable citizens in their dealings with transport departments smoothly, and strengthen rural transport network improvements, public transport and connectivity through automation, computerization and creating awareness.

Online services are now efficient and safe whereas, corruption free transport systems in the country will improve the road transport scenario in a big way. India has the second-largest road network in the world, a total of 5.89 million kilometers. This road network transport 64.5% of all goods in the country and 90% of India’s total passenger traffic uses the road network only, to commute.

Road transportation has gradually enhanced over the years with better connectivity between cities and villages in the country. Highway construction in India has increased, despite pandemic and lockdown, India has constructed 13,298 km of highways in FY21. Under the Union Budget 2022-23, the Government of India has allocated Rs. 1,99,107 crores to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and till now such lists are enhancing.

In June 2021, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways constructed 2,284 KMs of national highways compared with 1,681 KMs in June 2020. The Government of India has allocated Rs. 111 lakh crores under the National Infrastructure Pipeline for FY 2019- 25. The road sector is likely to account for 18% capital expenditure over FY 2019-25.

These developments are going to change the road transport scenario in a long run, at the same time with better infrastructure, there will be an increase in the average speed on the roads and if the behavioral aspect of the drivers is not changed, then our country may witness a surge in accidents too.

We have to prepare ourselves for these possibilities and it can be prevented only by spreading awareness. We have to make a system of classroom like teaching, preferably in existing infrastructures by specially trained professionals for the purpose.

@ Part 2

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Road Safety

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