Road Safety in India and Challenges
India’s roads are a paradox.
They represent an enormous and growing opportunity to commute and connect, to transport and travel.
They go hand in hand with the country’s modernisation and impressive economic progress.
Each year, a staggering 3,00,000 people are estimated to be killed on the road in India, according to the Un WHO.
That is equivalent to more than 34 people every hour of every day.
The number of people suffering life-altering injuries in road crashes is higher even than that.
Beyond human suffering, there is a serious economic toll: In India, road crashes are estimated to cost between 5% and 7% of national GDP.
Road safety is a global problem, with 1.3 million people killed in road crashes every year.
But almost one in every four road deaths around the world takes place in India.
As the planet commemorated the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on November 19.
This provide a platform for road traffic victims and their families to remember, support and act, such figures should serve as a wake-up call to all of us.
We need immediate, coordinated and evidence-based interventions to boost road safety and drastically reduce the daily human tragedies behind the alarming statistics.
Priority areas must include enforcing the use of seatbelts not just for drivers but also for their passengers.
Wearing a seatbelt reduces the risk of death among drivers and front-seat occupants by 45% to 50%, and the risk of death and serious injuries among rear-seat occupants by 25%.
Similarly, helmet use must be enforced among motorcyclists as well as their pillion passengers. Correct helmet use can lead to a 42% reduction in the risk of fatal injuries.
Speeding must be reduced and there can be no tolerance for drink-driving; a recent report by the Government revealed that speeding led to 70% of India’s road crash deaths.
The Sustainable Development Goals, created in 2015, include a target (3.6) to halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road crashes and a call (11.2) to make public transport safer, more affordable and more accessible to all.
Police in the major cities, such as the capital, New Delhi, are adopting modern technologies such as intelligent traffic management systems to effectively regulate traffic flows in a much better way and minimise the potential for collision.
To help increase access to safe helmets, the Special Envoy has worked with helmet producers to produce a low-cost ventilated United Nations standard helmet, for under $20, including here in India.
Road safety is a complex and multi-dimensional challenge, but the benefits that come with addressing it can be equally profound.
What we need is a comprehensive safe-system approach as envisaged in the UN’s the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, and full implementation of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019.
Ending the silent pandemic of road injuries will not only save lives but also strengthen the economy and improve the quality of life for everyone.
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