HOW SAFE ARE OUR ROADS
( On the eve of Road Safety Week 2017 )
For the last 28 years every year the the Road Safety
Week (RSW) is observed throughout India under the guidance of the Ministry of
Road Transport & Highways, Govt. of India from 11-17 January. Being an apex body at the
national level in the field of Safety, Health & Environment, NSC
supplements the Govt’s initiative by promoting Road Safety Campaign. Also the UN Road Safety Collaboration is pleased to announce that
the 4th UN Global Road Safety Week will be held from 8-14 May 2017.
The Week will focus on speed and what can be done to address this key risk factor
for road traffic deaths and injuries. Speed contributes to around one-third of
all fatal road traffic crashes in high-income countries, and up to half in low-
and middle-income countries. The Global
status report on road safety 2015,
reflecting information from 180 countries, indicates that worldwide the total
number of road traffic deaths has touched at 1.25 million per year, with the
highest road traffic fatality rates in low-income countries. It is
therefore imperative to know the effects of the road safety knowledge we have
gained during the last about 28 years since we are celebrating this annual
ritualistic event with great joy. It is also to ponder over how much our so
gained knowledge over the have helped in making our lives safe on our roads.
Going by the past experience and our road worthiness
statistic date records over the years India has the worst road safety standards in the
world; a fact repeatedly outlined in World Health Organization reports and
backed up by the government's own reports. As per International data
India with 11 deaths per 1,00,000 population on its road is better
only to Russia with19 deaths
where as world wide best countries in this respect are Denmark,
Singapore, UK and Israel where only 3 deaths per One Lakh population were
recorded during 2015.
The NCRB data shows that as many as 43,540
people were killed in accidents involving two-wheelers. Dangerous or careless
driving or overtaking resulted in the death of 48,093 deaths. More Indians die
each and every year in road accidents than the total casualties suffered by
India's armed forces in all the wars fought since independence.
In the editorial of Indian Highways
Journal (Vol.45, Number 01, January, 2017) elucidates the safety conditions of
our roads. As per his Editorial write up India maintains 5.5 million Kms of
road net work which works out 1.66 km of roads/km2. The accumulative
5% of total net work of Indian Roads have the national Highways NH (1,
00,087Kms) and State Highways SH (1, 67,109 Kms ) but are responsible for 52.4%
of total accidents on India roads. Roads
passing through Rural areas are more culprits in respect of road accidents
which account for 61.0% country wide accidents. Since roads are taken as right
of way of the drivers and their fault is
cause of 77.1% of accidents and fatalities on Indian Roads. In India
during 2015 year 5,01,423 road accidents
occurred resulting in killing of 1,46,133
persons besides injuries to thrice the number of fatalities with an increase of
4.6% in
total accident fatalities in India from 2014 to 2015. On an average 17 people die each hour on Indian Roads.
In India a road accident occurred every four minutes (2009). The
fatalities of youth between age group of 14 to 44 years on the Indian road
account for 71.9% (Both Drivers and
passengers ) The age 15-24 group was most effected with 48,420 deaths
accounting for 33.1%.This is most
horrify state of affairs for the Nation as a whole.
According to road
traffic safety experts,
the actual number of casualties may be higher than what is documented, as many
traffic accidents go unreported. Moreover, victims who die some time after the
accident, a span of time which may vary from a few hours to several days, are
not counted as car accident victims.
This unfortunate gigantic figure of fatalities
on our roads accounts for loss of 4% Gross Domestic Product (GDP) i.e. over
Rupees Five Lakh Crores.
More detailed
information is made available by GOI ( MORTH) in a booklet on Road Accidents in
India 2015.
This picture is becoming muddier with every
passing every year. Comparing figures of 2014 and 2015 reveals that the
increase in accidents was 2.5%, persons killed by 4.6%., accident injuries by
1.4%. Besides this the severity of road accidents, measured in terms of
number of persons killed per 100 accidents has increased from 21.6 in 2005 to
29.1 in 2015. Also the number of persons killed per ten thousand km of road
length has more than doubled since 1970.
While it is well established
that our roads and highways are deadly to travel on, according to the data, the
states with the highest number of road accidents in 2015 are Tamil Nadu,
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. These states contribute
29.66% to the total number of accidents recorded nationwide. The same states
also recorded the highest number of injuries at 2,75,873
in 2015.
In India rural roads account for 53.8% of
total accidents out of which 63.1% turn
out to be fatal with 61% of total
deaths and 59% injuries on roads.
Still more shocking is that 10.5 % of all
fatalities during road accidents were children below the age of 18 years. The
maximum fatalities in road accidents were reported in Uttar Pradesh (12.4 per
cent) followed by Tamil Nadu (10.5 per cent) and Maharashtra (9.2 per cent) in
2015.
In Jammu and Kashmir State Motor Vehicles
Department is one of the Public Services Department with lot of interface with
the people on day to day basis. The Motor Vehicles Department is implementing
monitoring and co-coordinating various transport related activities in
consonance with the Central Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and J&K Motor Vehicle
Rules 1991 and other statues/enactments with a motto of ensuring safety on
roads and effective development of public relations. But despite this much department
efforts the J&K State road accidents
account for more deaths than Kashmir unrest. During 2015 reported accidents
were 5836 there by resulting in 917 deaths besides
injuries to 8142 persons. The single
lane roads in J&K State recorded
3775 accidents causing 512 deaths and injury to 4161 persons against four lane roads with
respective figures of 53, 3 and 61 for
2015 year .During 2016 (January to September) there took place 4132 accidents
killing 665 persons besides causing injuries to another 5932 persons. It
is also reported that Jammu is more prone to accidents than Kashmir. In Jammu more
people get killed in road accidents than in Kashmir. J&K State Rural areas
are mostly hilly and narrate a pathetic story when we talk of roads and
accidents on road. In city areas the only concern of the traffic police department seems to give free passage
to the Ministers and other VIP’s caring
less for the delays and inconveniences
to common commuters. Maintenance of
Rural roads is so poor that one fails to understand if these roads belong to
any government agency/department or not.
An important accident related parameter is the extent of
accident severity (road accident related deaths per 100 accidents). It varies
from a low of 2.6 per cent in Mumbai to a high of 66.0 per cent in Amritsar , Asansol - Durgapur (47.1 per cent), Allahabad
(47.0 per cent), and Jamshedpur (45.2 %).
Two wheelers and cars ( jeeps and taxies included) account
for 28.8% and 23.6% of total accidents on Indian roads. During 2015, within the
category of drivers’ fault, accidents caused and persons killed due to
‘Exceeding lawful speed’, accounted for a high share of 62.2 % (2,40,463 out of
3,86,481 accidents) and 61.0 % (64,633 out of 1,06,021 deaths), respectively. During
the calendar year 2015, the total number of Hit and Run cases were 57,083 which
is 11.4 % of the total road accidents. Both potholes and speed barkers on the
roads each accounted for 2.2% of
accidents on roads resulting in 2.3% (each) fatalities..
Traffic Junctions are prone to accidents. About 49 per cent
of total accidents took place on the junctions itself during the calendar year
2015 as against 57 per cent during 2014. The highest number of accidents
occurred at T-Junctions during the calendar year 2015 causing 94,487 accidents
with a share of 38.5 percent of the total road accidents on Junctions. It has
been seen that the maximum number of accidents occurred at uncontrolled areas
which caused 1,66, 158 accidents with a share of (67.6 percent) in total road
accidents.
The owner of private vehicles were involved in 1,74, 359
accidents followed by owner of public commercial vehicle (98,996), paid driver
(1,13,830) and others (1,13,822).
Keeping these
unfortunate facts of death on Roads the Government of India is deeply concerned
about the growth in the number of road accidents, injuries and fatalities in
recent years. It recognizes that road accidents have now become a major public
health issue, and the victims are mainly the poor and vulnerable road users.
The Government of India further recognizes that as road accidents involve
roads, motor vehicles as also the human beings, road safety needs to be
addressed on a holistic basis. It also recognizes that regardless of
jurisdictions, the Central and State Governments have a joint responsibility in
reducing the incidence of road accidents, injuries and fatalities.
Roads are basic infrastructure required for seedy travel,
economic, social education, employment health; cultural, agricultural progress
of a nation. Any nation’s progress is surely measured by the road net work
constructed besides achievements in other fields. Surely India has achieved a
good progress by constructing 5.5 million kms of roads by ending 2015 against
existing road length of only 0.4 million kms of roads in 1951.A good road
network is essential for the over all growth of any nation but safety on
road can neither be over looked nor
postponed. To ensure safety on roads factors like good engineering, appropriate
and timely administrative action, humanistic approach to injured and timely
heath care are the tool with which we can win the safety race on our Roads. But above all
personnel character and mind set with accommodation of co-driver’s rights on
road if observer can go a long way to make out roads safe.
Keeping in view the urgent need of safety on our Roads the
GOI .the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has devised the following
ten Golden Rules for safety on Roads.
TEN GOLDEN RULES FOR ROAD SAFETY
1. STOP OR SLOW
DOWN : Allow pedestrians to cross first at
uncontrolled zebra crossings.
2. BUCKLE
UP : So
that your family and you are safe in the car. Seat Belts reduce the chances of death of a car occupant in
accidents.
3. OBEY TRAFFIC RULES AND SIGNS :To prevent road accidents.
4. OBEY
SPEED LIMITS : For your own safety
and that of others. In residential areas and market places, ideal speed should
be 20 kmph and the maximum speed limit is 30 kmph.
5. KEEP VEHICLE FIT : To prevent breakdown and accidents on
road.
6. NEVER USE MOBILE WHILE DRIVING :To avoid distractions
that largely lead to accidents.
7. WEAR HELMET : To protect your head while riding a two
wheeler. A good quality helmet reduces the chances of severe head injury.
8. NEVER DRIVE DANGEROUSLY : To ensure your own safety and that of other
road users.
9. BE COURTEOUS : Share the road with all and be
considerate. Never rage on the road.
10.NEVER MIX DRINKING AND DRIVING : Be Responsible... Don’t
drink while driving.
In the end I shall add that the progress of the Motor
Vehicles Department & other agencies connected with Road Safety Week
Celebrations should be gauges from the number of public awareness contacts made
with the drivers/ conductors, owners of vehicles & parents of the young
drivers, school meets rather than their meeting held with dignitaries in the
Hotels & Motels who are not practically connected with driving or private
transport traveling. Let us find more parking places in the city areas than
harassing the needy persons, make the drivers & conductors aware of the
future dangers of death, injury, noise & air pollutions. Imposing Heavy
fine on the owners rather than drivers
for rash driving, confiscate/ cancel ownerships of the vehicles along with the
driving licenses. Experience has shown that vehicle owners not police fines can
control the erring drivers.
Let us all try to
make our roads safe for reaching destinations speedily & safely.
Er. H.R.Phonsa
Chartered Engineer
(Ex. Executive Engineer)
Words 2100 Dated 16-01-2017
