ROAD SAFETY

CONTEXT

Former Tata Group chairman Cyrus Mistry was killed in a road accident on National Highway in Maharashtra. The tragedy has highlighted once again the high number of fatalities that Indian roads witness every year.

PROBLEMS

• According to WHO, more than half of all road traffic deaths and injuries involve vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, and their passengers.
• Developing economies record higher rates of road traffic injuries, with 93 per cent of fatalities coming from low- and middle-income countries
• In addition to the human suffering caused by road traffic injuries, they also incur a heavy economic burden on victims and their families, both through treatment costs for the injured and through loss of productivity of those killed or disabled
•  Road traffic injuries have a serious impact on national economies, costing countries 3 per cent of their annual gross domestic product

SOLUTIONS

• The increased political and financial commitments, and road safety to be included in mainstream development policies.
• This is essential to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including the target to halve road traffic crash fatalities and injuries by 2030

REPORTS

NATIONAL CRIME RECORDS BUREAU ACCIDENTAL DEATHS &SUICIDES IN INDIA (ADSI) REPORT

• 55 lakh individuals died in accidents on India’s roads in 2021, up from the 1.33 lakh deaths in the pandemic lockdown year of 2020.
• Two-wheelers accounted for most deaths 44.5 per cent. Buses accounted for 3 per cent of deaths in accidents. Speeding caused 87,000 deaths, accounting for over half of all deaths. Dangerous and careless driving was attributed as the cause of 42,000 deaths. The maximum increase in the number of traffic accident cases from 2020 to 2021 was reported in Tamil Nadu, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Kerala

UNION MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS-says wearing a seat belt reduces the impact of an accident by 80 per cent

SAVE LIFE FOUNDATION AND NISSAN- a study released in January 2019 recorded that only seven per cent of people in India always wear seat belts while sitting in the back seat, another 26 per cent wear them sometimes, and the rest never wear them.

LANCET-New global and country-level estimates suggest that routinely wearing helmets and seat belts, obeying speed limits, and avoiding drunk driving could save between 347,000 and 540,000 lives worldwide every year.

The benefits of more motorcyclists wearing helmets can save 5,683 lives in India. Interventions to reduce speeding such as infrastructure changes and electronic speed control could save an estimated 347,258 lives globally each year.

 National and Global efforts for road safety

1. India State Support Programme for Road Safety by World Bank-
2.  The World Bank has approved a USD 250 million loans for seven States under which a single accident reporting number will be set up to better manage post-crash events.
3. Third High-Level Global Conference on Road Safety for Achieving Global Goals 2030’- It was conceptualized to have zero road fatalities in India by 2030.
4. Brasilia declaration- India signed the Brasilia declaration and committed to a reduction in fatalities.
5.  Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019- It provides for the constitution of the National        Road Safety Board to advise the Central Government or State Government, as the case may      be, on all aspects of road safety and traffic management
6. The UN General Assembly adopted the resolution "Improving global road safety” with the ambitious target of preventing at least 50% of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030. The Global Plan aligns with the Stockholm Declaration, by emphasizing the importance of a holistic approach to road safety.
7. Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) 2020-2025- It aims to reduce road crash fatalities and injuries in low and middle-income countries and cities by implementing a comprehensive set of actions that are proven to save lives.
8. The Government constituted a Committee under the Chairmanship of Shri S. Sundar to finalize a draft National Road Safety Policy. Based on the recommendations of the Sundar Committee, the Union Cabinet approved National Road Safety Policy. The National Road Safety Policy outlines the policy initiatives to be taken by the Government at all levels to improve road safety activities in the country.

 To achieve a significant improvement in road safety, the Government of India is committed to-

• the Government Raise Awareness about Road Safety Issues
• Establish a Road Safety Information Database
• Ensure Safer Road Infrastructure
• Safer Vehicles
• Road Traffic Safety Education and Training
• Enforcement of Safety Laws
• Emergency Medical Services for Road Accidents
• Strengthening Enabling Legal, Institutional, and Financial Environment for Road Safety, etc.

GOOD SAMARITANS

A Good Samaritan is a person who, in good faith, without expectation of payment or reward and any duty of care or special relationship, voluntarily comes forward to administer immediate assistance or emergency care to a person injured in an accident, crash, or emergency medical condition, or emergency. Good Samaritan Law protects Good Samaritans from harassment on the actions being taken by them to save the life of the road accident victims.

Mains Perspective