More than 1.3 lakh people die on Indian roads every year

CA ADITYA SHARMA (CA IN PRACTICE ) (16719 Points)

19 June 2011

Last month, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon announced the beginning of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. In the next ten years, countries across the world are preparing to host high-profile events and release national plans to improve road safety and services for victims. Ironically, in India - the country with the most dismal road safety record in the world - the UN initiative has been met with a response that can at best be called lukewarm. "That just shows how seriously we take road safety in India," says a volunteer with a Jaipur-based NGO that organizes road sense drives for students.

An estimated 14 people die on Indian roads every hour. This makes for a staggering 1,30,000 annual fatalities - the highest in any country in the world. If one were to add another 1.6 million estimated serious injuries - which are grossly under-reported - that adds up to a significant proportion of the population that is affected by the country's killer roads.

Why is India such a dangerous place to drive or walk? The reason is simple, says Rohit Baluja, president of the Faridabad-based Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE). "There is hardly any political or bureaucratic will displayed by the central or state governments . The role and responsibilities of traffic management agencies are overlapping , confused and not defined," he says. A large part of the problem stems from the fact that India has not yet developed a robust traffic management system.

Also, the public transport system - which should have been designed to take pressure off the roads - has contributed, as in the case of Delhi's infamous Blueline buses - to greater chaos. Plus, there is the issue of lack of enforcement. A recent study conducted by IRTE found that almost 146 million traffic violations were committed by motorised traffic every single day in Delhi. However, the police booked only 20,000. Baluja says this is hardly surprising. "When people can violate without the fear of being punished , the road user character falls."

What compounds the problem further is the heterogeneous mix of India's traffic. There are drivers from various socio-economic backgrounds, many of whom get licences without proper training and assessment and consequently, have little awareness of traffic rules. So how does one drill into them that a safe road environment is going to save lives? Tamitza Toroyan of WHO, who is working on the UN Road Safety Collaboration, says the issue needs to be tackled holistically and requires a multi-pronged approach. "Drivers need to be reminded again and again of the consequences of drunken driving and driving without helmets."

A number of NGOs have taken up the issue of sensitizing road users. Industry bodies are also chipping in. Meenakshi Kukreja of SIAM (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers) says they are targeting students and professional drivers and informing them about correct road behaviour. Such sensitizing might help, but will it be enough to tackle the growing menace on Indian roads? Evidently not. Baluja points out that along with information and awareness, a few critical issues need to be addressed fast. "The science of traffic engineering initiated in the UK and US since 1930 remains a matter of consultancy in India . This is the fundamental problem with road safety in our country. It's time the government stepped in to fix accountability on those responsible for safety on our roads.

SAFETY SECOND?

Most cars and two wheelers in India do not have safety features like airbags or anti-lock braking systems (ABS), which are mandatory in many countries. In India, these features are mostly available in high-end versions of cars and rarely in two-wheelers . Since two-wheeler fatalities account for a major proportion of road deaths, is it time to make the ABS mandatory in two-wheelers ? Mohit Kochar of Bosch Ltd , the German auto components manufacturer that pioneered the development of ABS in the 1970s says it will be a big help. "In India, there are multiple emergency braking situations at various points while driving. At critical points, ABS can help the vehicle stop quickly and safely," he says. A small step to save lives?

'MY LIFE CHANGED IN A FLASH'

The year was 1996. I was about to migrate to Canada. Just a week before I was to leave, I went on a road trip to Renuka Lake. I was in the backseat and one of my friends was driving. Suddenly, there was a landslide and the car swerved and fell off the road. I was hit on the neck. As a result of the accident, I have been paralysed from the neck below. It took me two years to come to terms with the trauma. I now run an NGO, ArriveSafe, that educates road users on safety, so they don't have to endure what I did.