DATA ON ROAD ACCIDENTS
A probe administered by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has concluded that 1,51,113 persons were killed and 4,51,361 wounded in road accidents across the country in 2019.
National Highways which comes under the (NHAI) National Highway Authority of India estimated that approximately 35,606 deaths were recorded on National Highways.
Highways including National Highways and State Highways claimed 61% of the total deaths associated with Road Accidents.
Both countries United States of America and Japan have more revealed crashes but limited deaths. Compared to these countries India ranked third in the cases to fatalities ratio in the world, with 415 deaths each day.
School children are also vulnerable to Road Accidents let’s have a quick look at how.
RISK FOR SCHOOL STUDENTS
Census conducted in 2011 estimated that children confronted a high level of risk while commuting to and from school. This was mainly due to inadequate road planning, insufficient enforcement, and poor traffic attitude.
The study, titled ‘National Study on Safe Commute to school’, conducted by the SaveLIFE Foundation and Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI), brings out rifts in road safety for children and the absence of the option of school-affiliated transport.
According to the data from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), 11,168 deaths of children aged between 18 years were recorded in 2019, an increase of 7.4% compared to 2018. Around 30 children below the age of 18 succumbed to death in road accidents every single day.
Here we will be discussing the causes and ways to curb the accidents.
REASONS FOR ROAD ACCIDENTS IN INDIA
- 66.7% of accidents in India were associated with Overspeeding in 2017, 55.73% in 2018, and 64.4% in 2019 as per NHAI.
- No separate cycle paths for their mobility.
- Non-availability of school-affiliated transportation facilities.
- Absence of walking footpaths.
- Carelessness, rush driving, avoiding seatbelts, helmets. Around 1,33,715 lives were lost and around 1,20,716 cases were associated with negligence in road accidents as per the source emanated from the (NCB) National Crime Records Bureau.
- Drunken driving
- Not following rules (traffic rules)
- Overtaking on the wrong side
7 MEASURES TO CURB ROAD ACCIDENTS
- The Strict Enforcement of traffic safety laws.
- Informing inhabitants about the consequence of accidents on the family of the sufferers.
- Improving Road Infrastructure
- Identification of black spots that are prone to accidents.
- Deploying an adequate number of police personnel.
- Highway patrols with police personnel trained in first aid.
- Ambulances every 10 km.
All these efforts could bring down accident rates if implemented.
GOOD SAMARITANS
Samaritans are those people who saved the lives of Road Accidents victims voluntarily without any expectation of payment or award.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has awarded Good Samaritans with a cash prize.
The Ministry will convey tributes of Rs.1 lakh each to the good Good Samaritans in a year. Recognizing the Good Samaritans is a progressive step to Reduce Road Accidents in India.
Let’s talk about the measures taken by the government of India and the International Convention to minimize the risk of Road Accidents to zero that every citizen should know.
UNITED NATIONS BRASILIA DECLARATION
The report published by WHO (World Health Organization) estimated that 1.25 million people died due to Road Accidents every year worldwide.
India is a signatory to Brasilia Declaration and it was acknowledged by all participating countries to reducing the casualty rate by half (50%) due to Road Accidents by 2020 to meet the target set under the 2030 sustainable development.
Brasilia Declaration calls for stringent traffic laws to curb Road Accidents. It was held in Brazil and was recognized at the second global high-level conference on road safety.
INDIA’S LAW ON ROAD ACCIDENTS
- MOTOR VEHICLES AMENDMENT ACT, 2019
The bill provides cashless treatment of Road Accident victims during golden hours (golden hours refers to time up to one hour after the accident). Penalty for non-compliance with rules has also been increased.
The Act was aimed to drop the death rate due to road accidents by 50% by 2020 (now the deadline has been revamped to 2025). As it was agreed by all the participating nations in the United Nations Brasilia Declaration.
Under this Act, Good Samaritan has no legal burden to report his involvement in the examination, if he willingly aids an accident victim with no intention of payment or trophy.
This act also mandates the creation of a NATIONAL ROAD SAFETY BOARD to advise central and state governments on all aspects of road safety and traffic management.
Save driving save lives.