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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