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Killer Roads:AVOIDABLE FATE, By Dr.S.Saraswathi, 17 June, 2016 Print E-mail

Open Forum

New Delhi, 17 June 2016

Killer Roads

AVOIDABLE FATE

By Dr.S.Saraswathi

(Former Director, ICSSR, New Delhi)

 

The alarming rise in the number of road accidents causing death or injuries has provoked the Union Government to set up a National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board to advise on framing   road safety standards and guidelines.

It wants the public also to ponder over the causes of road accidents – fate as some believe, lack of adequate regulations as the Government seems to think, naked violation of rules or human error, a term used to cover up many operational deficiencies in managing traffic on roads.

Truthfully, there are multiple causes and the remedies are many. First, we must acknowledge that road accidents are avoidable. The matter is becoming increasingly serious with tremendous growth of cities, enormous increase in the number of vehicles and travelling population.

Shockingly, more people die in road accidents than in war or epidemics. Consequently, road safety has become a serious problem wherein the Government’s move of appointing a Board though welcome is not as effective as a Statute.

True, the panel might become permanent consisting of members with expertise in road engineering, road safety, automobile manufacturing, traffic and trauma care. Towards that end, recall, an Empowered group of State Transport Ministers was set up in February to make the country‘s transport system modern, efficient, and transparent.

Undeniably, some quick action has become necessary due to the failure of the Government to push the Road Safety Bill in the Parliament despite several attempts. Specially as our MPs who revel in getting the right of way, fail to realize the urgency for road safety laws as common citizens. 

For many of them, obstructing good laws is real service for the people!  Scandalously, the Modi Government had promised to bring a road safety legislation in 2014 and the Prime Minister had mentioned this in one of his “Mann ki Baat” talks, but till date the Bill has not been introduced in Parliament. 

Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkhari has talked of “vested interests scuttling the new law” as they are “opposed to transparency and computerisation in the highways sector”. As the proposed law seeks to enhance punishment for traffic offenders up to fine of Rs.3 lakh and imprisonment up to 7 years in case of death in road accidents.

Besides, the UN General Assembly too had declared 2011-2020 as the Road Safety Decade and adopted a resolution on road safety whereby it called on nations to adopt, implement and enforce road safety policies. 

In fact, item 11 of the Sustainable Development Goals relating to sustainable cities includes in its targets necessary action to reduce road crush deaths to 50 per cent by 2030. As road traffic injuries would move up to the 3rd position by 2020 among leading causes of the global disease burden.

Additionally, the Global Status Report for 2013 issued by the WHO elevated India to the top position in road fatalities. The report, underscored death in road accidents mostly happen in low and middle income countries and young people in 15-29 age-group are most vulnerable.

The Union Road Transport Ministry too released a report on road accidents in India last year which added another dimension to the dismal performance of the country on social fronts like health and education. 

It revealed that 1.46 lakh people were killed in 5 lakh road accidents in 2015 alone.  Recorded accidents numbered 1,374 everyday causing 400 deaths and the total number increased by 2.5 per cent last year compared to 2014.

Further, traffic accidents are a prime cause of death especially among the youth. Pertinently, State-wise statistics place 13 States as accounting for 87.2 per cent of road accidents with Tamil Nadu topping the list.

Among the cities, Mumbai recorded the maximum number of 23,468 cases and Delhi the highest number of fatalities in road accidents.  “Driving in India is crazy”, is a common comment of tourists appalled by the chaotic conditions of road travel and scant regard for traffic  rules making driving in India one of the most hazardous occupations.

Among the common causes of road accidents is over-speeding, drunken driving, drivers distraction, red light jumping, avoiding safety gears, non-adherence to lane driving and over-taking mistakes.  

Add to this encroachment of road space, increase in number of vehicles which are disproportionate to road width and malpractices in the issue of licenses to drivers and in conducting break-test to certify fitness of vehicles. 

Alas, professionalism in driving is absent. Not the least of all, the lack of road sense of pedestrians. Worse, doctors and hospitals are reluctant to attend to accident cases to avoid irksome police enquiries.   As there are no provision in the Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code or Motor Vehicles Act which mandates completion of police formalities before starting treatment.  

Despite, an amendment to the Motor Vehicles Act in 1994 which  made it mandatory on both vehicle drivers/owners to take the accident victim to the nearest doctor without waiting for formalities.

On top of it all, a driving test is a big joke in the country. Managing the ‘clutch’ and ‘accelerator’ is considered enough knowledge to drive and there is no proper theory test. 

Appallingly, learners might pass the test with little facts of manoeuvring in heavy traffic. Wherein obtaining a licence in many places   mostly means payment of prescribed fees through driving schools.    

According to Minister Gadkhari 30 per cent of the driving licences in India are bogus thanks to large-scale corruption in RTOs.  This situation urgently needs to be changed.

In sum, the Motor Safety Bill under the Government’s consideration is expected to enhance the punishment for road rule violations, raise a force to monitor national highways and bring non-motorized vehicles like carts and cycles under the law.

Specially as India has the second largest road network in the world with over 3 million kms of roads and hence faces really tough traffic problems compared to other countries.  Bad roads and encroachments on pavements are common in all cities. 

Drunken driving, jumping signals and disregarding one-way traffic rules and overtaking are common practices which go unpunished except when a serious accident takes place.  Safety precautions like wearing helmets and seat belts are resisted vigorously as intrusions into individual liberty. 

Under-ground and overhead bridges to cross roads remain decoration pieces while people indulge in jay walking ignoring zebra-crossing marks.  In small streets, under-age children driving two-wheelers is a common sight.   In such a situation, observing rules by law abiding citizens becomes a cause for accidents indeed!

The first task, therefore, is to enforce existing rules without fear or favour.  The practice of  “mamool” ( a slang  in use  in some places to denote regular  payment  of “bribes”  to  public officials like the police as reward for allowing  unlawful practices)  should be eradicated forthwith.

Fresh thinking and reformulation of laws are welcome.  But, these will not ensure road safety unless they are strictly enforced with no exceptions. ---- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

                                                    

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