India needs Road Safety Awareness and implementation of multi-level Safer Road strategies to minimise losses
By : Partha Roy
Kolkata: India needs widespread Road Safety Awareness program at every level of the society across the country in urban and rural areas as well as implementation of multi-level Safer Road strategies to minimise loss of human lives and property .
India rank first in the number of deaths caused by road accidents with an 11% share of accidents globally. Absolute no.of fatalities continues to be high creating a big challenge.
Ministry of Road Transportation and Highways [MoRTH] of Government of India and several corporates in India initiated several active remedial measures pertaining to road safety followed by implementation of various schemes to improve national road safety.
National Highways Authority of India [NHAI] is playing important role in implementing various schemes of road safety infrastructure development across India. State Governments , Local Municipal bodies alongwith Police of every states are also involved in implementation of various road safety measures including initiating new initiatives to enhance quality and quantity of Road Safety measures with new technologies .
Integrated approach to enhance road safety measures including road safety infrastructure development including stricter implementation of Motor Vehicle Acts needed to minimise losses due to various road accidents.
Automobile manufacturers have to play important role in development and implementation of accident minimising and environment and ecosystem sensitive automobiles in upcoming times to make road safer. Newer and evolving Road design systems enhancing Road Safety measures have to be implemented in urban and rural areas road construction as well as post accident Life saving infrastructures need to be developed alongside of National Highways , State Highways as well as rural roads.
A conference titled ” Role of Industry for Safe Road and Safe Mobility ” was organised by Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Kolkata on 27th July 2023.
The conference deliberated on the role of industry for safe roads and safe mobility, and had panel discussions on the roadmap for safer mobility and enhancing the road safety ecosystem in India.
Shri. H K Kusumakar, IPS Special Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, Shri Dibyendu Das Director Transport Department & Special Secretary to Government of West Bengal, Dr. Krishna Nirmalya Sen, Chairman – ICC OHSE Expert Committee & Head EHS, L&T MMH, Mr. Saket Mehra National Leader, Automotive Practice, Grant Thornton Bharat and Mr. Sudipta Mukherjee Chief Adviser-Generation, CESC Ltd. alongwith several experts from various sectors involved in enhancing road safety measures attended the conference and deliberated on various aspects of road safety.
Mr. Saket Mehra, National Leader, Automotive Practice, Grant Thornton Bharat, who was keynote speaker on theme said, “Three things that should truly contribute to achieve road safety is technology, data and analytics, and driver behaviour. Multiple states in India have partnered with different companies using advanced analytics to predict and reduce accident rates and there have been some success stories but a lot more to go. Today, roads are much safer. Our vehicles are secured and there is increased awareness about the issue. However, youngsters still feel unsafe on the roads. This is owing to a larger human element. The driving patterns have changed, maybe due to pent-up issues of anger and frustration. Between 2019 and 2021 there has been a 40% hike in road rage incidents across the country. The fatality rate is significantly higher compared to other countries. Various aspects need to be addressed in improving road safety. It is not only about driving behaviour and infrastructure. It is also about the public transportation system. I feel proud that Kolkata has the most iconic transportation system in India, where people feel safe. Corporates can also help to tackle the issue by designing and developing programmes that make people aware of driving patterns and behaviours as part of ESG.”
A reseach Report on Road Safety by ICC & Grant Thornton Bharat titled ” Towards Safer roads : Charting a better future ” was released at the program.
Road Safety issues affect all road users from school going children to senior citizens in fact people of all age groups from all sections of the society across India and on the planet Earth. So, there is need to spread awareness and sensitise on Road Safety issues from school level both in urban and rural areas across India to enhance preventive care systems as well as minimise challenges arising out of accidents . Even illiterate people in any society need to be sensitised on Road Safety issues. Road Safety issues not only affect humans but also affect many other animals in Biosphere whose life and movement get affected by road traffic movement.
As a part of Road Safety Awareness , general public should be aware of All India National Emergency Helpline and Toll-free No.:
” 112″ and Road Accident Emergency Service Helpline No. “1073” and call & connect during accident emergency.
