The
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways had formed five separate working
groups on four E’s of Road Safety viz. (i) Education (ii) Enforcement (iii)
Engineering (roads as well as vehicles) and
(iv) emergency care to lay out the macro and micro dimensions with potential
solutions to road safety and to suggest short term and long term measures to
curb road accidents in the country as
per the deliberations in the last meeting of the National Road Safety Council
(NRSC), held on 25th March, 2011,. The Working Groups on Education,
Engineering (roads) and Engineering (vehicles), Emergency care and
Working Group on Enforcement have
already submitted their final reports.
At present the Ministry is examining all the recommendations given by
Working Groups. Thereafter these recommendations will be placed before the
NRSC for deliberation and finalizing a detailed decadal action plan on road safety at the national level which could be
replicated by all the State Government at state level and district level.
Road safety is a complex issue of
national concern, considering its magnitude and gravity and the consequent
negative impacts on the economy, public health and the general welfare of the
people. With rising motorization at
10% compound growth every year and expanding road network, travel risks and
traffic exposure are growing at a much faster rate. Today, road traffic injuries are one of the
leading causes of deaths, disabilities and hospitalizations, with severe
socioeconomic costs, across the world. During the year 2009, there were around
4.9 lakh road accidents, which resulted in deaths of 1,25,660 people and
injured more than 5 lakh persons in India.
These numbers translate into one road accident every minute, and one
road accident death every four minutes, for India. Our country has reported the
highest number of road fatalities amongst all countries in the World. While
developed countries through well planned road safety programmes with a
dedicated nodal agency for road safety have
succeeded in bringing down their accident rates, on the other hand
India’s accident rate and fatalities is
showing an increasing trend which is a matter of great concern.
Road traffic injuries in 2004 was
the 9th leading cause of death and at the current rates by 2030 is
expected to be the 5th leading cause of death overtaking diabetes and HIV/AIDS. The loss to the Indian economy due to fatalities
and accident injuries is estimated at 3% of GDP and is particularly severe as
52.7% of road accident victims are in
the age group of 25 to 65 years with pedestrians , bicycle and two
wheelers who comprise the most
unprotected road users accounting for around 39% of all fatalities.
The United Nations has rightly
proclaimed the present decade as decade of action on road safety and have
called upon all member countries to prepare a decadal action plan for
implementation in their respective countries so that the present rising trend
on road accident stabilizes and is
revered by the year 2020 .
Some
of the important recommendations of these working groups are enclosed herewith.
RECOMMENDATIONS
OF THE WORKING GROUP ON EDUCATION
·
The number of road accidents and fatalities
should be reduced to half in the year 2020 with base year 2010 per 10,000
vehicles population. A Comprehensive
Plan of Action on the lines of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to bring
down the road accidents entailing all the Working Groups on the 4 Es would be
needed.
·
A National Road Safety Policy and supporting
laws to be formulated.
·
The NRSC should convene more frequently, leading
to better policymaking, programme implementation, and monitoring.
·
State and District Road Safety Councils need to
be constituted/activated at the State level.
These Councils would have representatives from all stake-holders. This is a ubiquitous problem and needs to be
legislated and compliance reporting system should be included.
·
50 percent of all
fines collected should be devoted to road safety activities, which should be legislated so that it becomes
mandatory for States to adopt.
·
A separate Road Safety Education and Awareness
Fund needs to be created, which would be solely used for this purpose, in
partnership with the government, corporate, voluntary organisations, etc.
·
The MV Act needs to be amended to ensure that
the Road Safety Awareness Fund is created at the Centre and in all States.
·
All firms involved with roads should be
encouraged to undertake Corporate Social Responsibility activities relating to
road safety.
·
Insurance laws should also be modified so that
the person who causes the accident has to bear a certain proportion of
insurance claim, depending on severity of negligence. The laws should provide
higher compensation to the injured (as against to the next of kin of the dead)
who get disabled for life and become a burden on the society and their
families.
·
Road safety policy is
needed for all large fleet owners, such as firms, State Road Transport
Undertakings, tour operators, etc.
·
Introduce refresher trainings and eliminate fake
certificates to promote quality driving parameters of model drivers’ training
schools and other training institutes under PPP model.
Recommendations OF
THE WORKING GROUP
ON ENGINEERING (ROADS)
·
All National and State Highways
should have signages and road markings as per IRC Standard.
·
Road Safety Audit for entire National Highways and State
Highways network to be completed including capacity building for Safety
Auditors such as developing training
course content , indentifying institutions and imparting training
·
Review of Standards /
Guidelines & Evolving New Guidelines with safety focus for NHs and SHs and
developing Manuals on Traffic Control Devices
·
Implementation of other road
safety engineering measures like Speed management measures, provision of
service roads, provision of pedestrians/cattle crossings, improvements of
inter-State border check posts on NHs, provision of truck lay bays along NHs and provision of bus bays, bus
shelter along NHs and Closure of
unauthorized median openings
·
Engineers involved in planning, design,
construction and operation of highways to be trained in road safety including
development of Training Modules, Identification of Training in Engineering
measures
·
Thrust on Research on road
safety including setting up few Centres
of Excellence.
·
Accident analysis for
corrective actions.
Recommendations OF THE WORKING GROUP ON
ENGINEERING (Vehicles)
·
Requirements related to passive
safety, active safety and general safety
to be introduced in a planned manner.
·
Major improvements in vehicle
designs are required with introduction of full vehicle crash tests, EMC and
high technology solutions for better visibility.
·
Enhancement of standards
related to vehicle stability and braking should be implemented. Standardization
of bus bodies, truck bodies and trailers would greatly enhance road safety.
·
To address other areas like construction
equipment vehicles, hydraulic trailers, ITS, inspection and testing rules for
in‐use vehicles, End of Life Vehicle, etc.
·
Introduce mandatory Inspection and
Certification (I&C) requirements for all categories of vehicle (Transport
vehicles as well as non‐transport vehicles, including 2 wheelers).
·
Establish computerized I&C Centers all
across the country.
·
Define policies and procedures for End of Life
and scrapping of un‐usable vehicles.
·
Establish control mechanism for
use of spurious parts in the aftermarket by covering more and more components
under mandatory marking scheme.
·
Establish comprehensive Road Accident Data Analysis
·
Develop strategic alliances
with international organizations/ experts
·
For effective planning and
execution, there should be National Accident Research Center (mother
organization) and data collection at State Accident Research Centers (daughter
organizations). Department of Heavy Industry has already planned Accident Research
Center under NATRiP. Center under NATRiP needs to be considered while making
future plans.
·
Effective use of IT & Electronics for vehicle‐road interfaces and transport
management
·
Support research activity in
vehicle engineering and regulations
RECOMMENDATIONS
OF WORKING GROUP ON EMERGENCY CARE
· Review & Audit of the Existing
Schemes such as National
Highway Trauma Care Project (NHTCP,) National Highways Accident Relief Services Scheme (NHARSS) Incident Management System (IMS) –NHAI,
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) System
·
Enunciate a National Accident Relief Policy &
a National Trauma System Plan.
·
Deployment of a Pan-India Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical Care
Network to ensure a primary crash response time of 8 – 10 mins. This network should be
adequately supported by a unified toll free number, seamless communication,
centralized dispatch, medical direction, triage protocols & crash rescue
units.
·
To verify
& designate the existing healthcare facilities along the Highways
and upgrade those found deficient to minimum defined levels & to plan for
new facilities where there is a deficit so as to ensure the availability of one
emergency care facility at every 50km along the national highways.
·
Plan for seamless networking amongst health facilities,
rescue services, existing fleet of ambulances, etc.
·
Capacity building and regular training in EMS to
all involved in trauma care supplemented by training in First Aid to the public
·
Setting up of Regional Referral Trauma Centers across the country supported by a
Heli-Ambulance network to ensure
speedy care to the severely injured
·
Plan for rehabilitation centres for the trauma care victims
·
Standardize minimum national specifications for various types of Emergency Response Vehicles
RECOMMENDATIONS OF WORKING GROUP ON ENFORCEMENT
·
Amendment of Motor Vehicles Act 1988: The penalty structure of 1988 Act has
become totally redundant and the fines are not a deterrence for traffic rule
violators. As recommended by the
Committee to review of Motor Vehicles Act, the Working Group has suggested to
increase penalties and fines for traffic offences. While revising the penalties
for traffic offences, a clause needs to be inserted in the Amendment Act itself
that every three years there should be revision of fine based on consumer price
index.
·
Overloading of Commercial Vehicles: The
commercial vehicle, if found overloaded should be prosecuted with mandatory
criminal case under the provisions of Damage to Public Property Act against the
transporter, the consignor and the consignee.
As per Motor Vehicles Act provisions and rules, police is not empowered
to check overloading as Transport Department is the only competent agency to
check overloading. All state police
forces need to be empowered to check overloading and for this a large number of
weighing machines should be installed so that no overloading takes place.
·
Use of Road Safety Devices like Helmet, Seat Belt: At present, some state governments have not enforced wearing of
helmet and in some states women have been exempted from wearing helmets. The Committee has recommended that there must
be no exemption in wearing of helmet and awareness should be created that
helmet should be properly strapped by the road users Similarly, wearing of seat
belt should be compulsory for the driver and the front passenger and on
national highways it should be compulsory for even the passengers in the back
seat.
·
Drunken Driving: According to Section
185 of Motor Vehicle Act, the penalty for violation of this rule is punishable
with a fine of Rs. 2,000 or 6 months imprisonment or both for the first
offence. All enforcement agencies may
impress upon the courts of the concerned cities/states that in graver cases of
drunken driving, imprisonment must be provided to discourage drunken
driving. There is also a provision under
Motor Vehicle Act under Section 20 that if there is conviction under Section
185, the driving licence of the offender must be suspended. Similarly,
databases should be created by all the state police forces and Transport
department to ensure enhanced punishment for drunken driving where the second
or subsequent offence.
·
Database of all Traffic Violations: At present, there is no interlinked data base
for recording of traffic violations by drivers of the vehicles. There is urgent need that data base should be
created for every vehicle, every driver and every offence for interlinking the
habitual offender and there being enhanced punishments for second and
subsequent offences.
·
Strict checking of overcrowded passenger vehicles: All Transport and Traffic
Police have to come down heavily on overloading of passenger vehicles. The Committee was of the view that in case of
overloading of passenger vehicles, there should be provision of cancellation of
permit of commercial passenger vehicles so that this compromise of road safety
does not takes place. Presently, there
is a provision of fine which is not a deterrence for checking of overloading of
passenger vehicles.
·
Improvement of Road Engineering: It must be made mandatory for all concerned
departments to inspect the roads where frequent accidents are happening. There
should be compulsory inspection by Transport Department officials, Traffic
Police, local police, road maintaining agency officials of scenes of multiple
deaths or multiple accidents on particular stretches of roads to effective
improve road engineering on these stretches.
·
Use of Technology for interacting with road users: Every city police should
start interacting with road users through social networking
sites like Face book. Similarly, sharing of information through
facilities like SMS alert service, 24x7 helpline can be effective instrument
for improvement in road safety.
·
Issuance of driving licences: There is an urgent need to have a
comprehensive test of the skills of applicants before driving licence of any
category is issued to the applicant. It
is suggested by the Committee that the Transport Department of all states must
encourage establishing a large number of training institutes which can impart
basic training for drivers before the applicant comes for driving licence.
·
Digitization of Driving Licenses: There
is urgent need of linking up of transport authorities to ensure that no person
is able to get a driving licence from more than one authority. There is also need of digitization of the
existing driving licence holders. This
is also necessary because when driving licence of a defaulter in traffic
offence is suspended he should not be able to get driving licence from any
other transport authority.
·
Issuance of fitness certificate by Transport Authorities: It has been felt by
Committee that a large number of accidents on roads happen because many of the
commercial vehicles are not in good condition.
It has been felt that fitness certificate for commercial vehicles are
being issued in a routine and there should be stringent checks of commercial
vehicles before fitness certificate is issued to the vehicle. Stringent fitness
certificate issuance will ensure enhanced road safety.
·
Modernization of Traffic Management System in cities: The Committee was of the
view that with the introduction of latest technology in traffic management like
CCTVs, speed cameras, red light cameras, Variable Messaging, video analytics
and other systems of intelligent traffic system, we can reduce dependence on
manpower and can have an effective traffic management system.
·
Speed Calming measures on Highways near inhabited areas: During construction of
highways, there should be sufficient provision of crossover for pedestrians and
sufficient safety devices like central verge, railing, grills on both sides of
the highways. There is also need for
speed calming measures like table top speed breakers, rumbler strips on
highways particularly on vulnerable locations so that vehicles slow down at
appropriate places.
·
Wayside amenities for long distance drivers: There is urgent need to
establish these amenities on roadsides at national and other highways because
accidents generally happen due to fatigue and over work. Transporters need to be educated to have a
reasonable schedule of movement of vehicle which will not force drivers to
drive long hours without sleep and rest.
·
Compulsory installation of GPS in Commercial Vehicles: There should be compulsory
GPS devise installation in all commercial vehicles.
·
Part of fine being made available for Road Safety Improvement : Many members of the
Committee was of the view that the part of fine collected by the Traffic Police
for traffic violations should become available to them for effective road
safety improvement in the areas like
education to students, road users and other stakeholders.
·
Apex Road Safety Body at the State and District Level: There is urgent need that a state level road safety committee
headed by a senior functionary of government and should have representative
from all stakeholders so that road safety scenario is reviewed
periodically. Similarly, there should be
District Level Road Safety Committee having members from all concerned units to
review safety scenario in the District.
There should be compulsory meeting of these Committees and issues must
be discussed threadbare.
Sanjay
Kumar/kd