Road Safety Initiative
Consumer VOICE observes 7th UN Road Safety Week
NATIONAL ROAD SAFETY WEBINAR
Nitin Gadkari, the Road Transport, Highways, and MSME Minister said road fatalities can be reduced by 50 per cent by 2025 as against the target of 2030 while addressing a webinar organised by Consumer VOICE along with the other partners of the Road Safety Network. The webinar was organised on September 1, 2020 to mark the completion of one year of Motor Vehicles Amendment Act 2019. Read More
ROAD TO MOTOR VEHICLES AMENDMENT ACT 2019
According to the road transport and highways ministry, half a million accidents are reported in India every year, in which 150,000 people lose their lives.
A long awaited Motor Vehicles Amendment Act 2019 that introduces several amendments in the 30-year-old law has been passed by the Lok Sabha on 23rd July 2019 and Rajya Sabha on 31st July 2019. President Ram Nath Kovind on 9th Aug 2019 gave assent to the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, that aims to make Indian roads safer, reduce corruption and use technology to overhaul the country’s transportation system.
The amendments mainly focus on issues relating to improving road safety, citizens’ facilitation while dealing with the transport department, strengthening rural transport, last-mile connectivity and public transport, automation and computerization and enabling online services. The Bill was introduced in Parliament by the road transport and highway ministry in 2016, after which it was passed by the Lok Sabha in 2017. However, it failed to gather support in the Rajya Sabha.
LIST OF INCREASED PENALTIES UNDER MOTOR VEHICLE AMENDMENT ACT 2019
Section(Old Section) | Old Provision/Property | New Proposed Provision/Minimum Penalties | |
---|---|---|---|
177 | General | Rs 100 | Rs 500 |
New 177A | Rules of road regulation violation | Rs 100 | Rs 500 |
178 | Travel without ticket | Rs 100 | Rs 500 |
179 | Disobedience of orders of authorities | Rs 100 | Rs 500 |
180 | Unauthorized use of vehicles without licence | Rs 1,000 | Rs 5,000 |
181 | Driving without licence | Rs 500 | Rs 5,000 |
182 | Driving despite disqualification | Rs 500 | Rs 10,000 |
182 B | Oversize vehicles | New | New |
183 | Over speeding | Rs 400 | Rs 1,000 for LMV, Rs 2,000 for medium passenger vehicles |
184 | Dangerous driving penalty | Rs 1,000 | Up to Rs 5,000 |
185 | Drunken driving | Rs 2,000 | Rs 10,000 |
189 | Speeding/ Racing | Rs 500 | Rs 5,000 |
192 A | Vehicle without permit | Up to Rs 5,000 | Up to Rs 10,000 |
193 | Aggregators (violation of licencing conditions) | New | Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh |
194 | Overloading | Rs 2,000 and Rs 1,000 per extra tonne | Rs 20,000 and Rs 2,000 per extra tonne |
194 A | Overloading of passengers | Rs 1,000 per extra passenger | |
194 B | Seat belt | Rs 100 | Rs 1,000 |
194 C | Overloading of two-wheelers | Rs 100 | Rs 2,000, disqualification of licence for three months |
194 D | Helmets | Rs 100 | Rs 1,000, disqualification of licence for three months |
194 E | Not providing way for emergency vehicles | New | Rs 10,000 |
196 | Driving without insurance | Rs 1,000 | Rs 2,000 |
199 | Offences by juveniles | New | Guardian/ owner shall be deemed to be guilty. Rs 25,000 fine with 3 years imprisonment. Juvenile to be tried under JJ Act. Registration of motor vehicle to be cancelled. |
206 | Power of officers to impound documents | Suspension of driving licences u/s 183, 184, 185, 189, 190, 194C, 194D, 194E. | |
210 B | Offences committed by enforcing authorities | Twice the penalty under the relevant section. |
SIX MAIN RISK FACTORS OF ROAD SAFETY
- Seat Belt
Seat belts dramatically reduce risk of death and serious injury. Among drivers and front-seat passengers, seat belts reduce the risk of death by 45%, and cut the risk of serious injury by 50%. People not wearing a seat belt are 30 times more likely to be ejected from a vehicle during a crash. More than 3 out of 4 people who are ejected during a fatal crash die from their injuries.
Front or Back -Always Wear Your Seat Belt
- Speed
The speed of motor vehicles is at the core of the road traffic injury problem. Speed influences both crash risk and crash consequence. The physical layout of the road and its surroundings can both encourage and discourage speed. Crash risk increases as speed increases, especially at road junctions and while overtaking – as road users underestimate the speed and overestimate the distance of an approaching vehicle.
- Helmet
The main risk factor for motorized two-wheeler users is the non-use of crash helmets. The lack or inappropriate use of helmets increase the risk of fatalities and injuries resulting from road crashes involving motorized twowheelers. Head injuries are a major cause of death, injury and disability among users of motorized twowheel vehicles. Many of these head injuries could have been prevented or their severity reduced through the use of simple and inexpensive helmets. Read More
- Drink & Drive
Impairment by alcohol is an important factor influencing both the risk of a road crash as well as the severity of the injuries that result from crashes.
- Child Restraints
A child safety seat is a seat designed specifically to protect children from injury or death during vehicle collisions. Child restraints work in the same way as adult seat-belts.
- Mobile distractive driving
Using mobile phones can cause drivers to take their eyes off the road, their hands off the steering wheel, and their minds off the road and the surrounding situation. This cognitive distraction have the biggest impact on driving behaviour.
IMPACT
- We submitted a petition on December 2015 to the Honorable Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari and State Minister for an immediate introduction of Road Safety Bill in monsoon session at central level.
- At state level our partners have submitted petition to Transport Ministers of the respective states and copies have been sent to Shri Nitin Gadkari.
- We have received support from 58 Members of Parliament across all parties.
- Workshops and Candle Marches were held on World Day of Remembrance (WDR) for Road Safety across major states and cities in India like Chandigarh, Lucknow, Cuttack, Bhopal and Patna which were a huge success.
- Consumer VOICE organized Cyclothon (Cycle Rally) event on January 7, 2017 on the occasion of Road Safety Week at Nehru Park, Neeti Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. The theme of the Cyclothon was ‘Child Safety
and Safer Roads – Every Life Counts’. - The VOICE team also approached relevant ministries (Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Ministry (MORTH) and Ministry of Consumer Affairs to push for the bill.
- World Day of Remembrance (WDR) was organised in 2015, 2016 and 2017 from 15th till 20th November in 10 states
- A National workshop was held on February 2015 to brief our state partners to garner support from MPs across states.
World Day of Remembrance 2022
On the third Sunday of November each year, the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDR) is observed. In order to honour the suffering of all impacted victims, families, and communities, it is important to recall the many millions who have been killed or gravely injured on the world’s roadways. Read More
World Day of Remembrance 2021
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims was observed on 21st November by Consumer VOICE along with its state partners in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. Workshops, sensitization drives and peace walks were some of the activities that marked the occasion.
CAMPAIGN UPDATES
Road Safety – Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh Workshop
A stakeholders Consultation was organized by Consumer Guild with support from Consumer VOICE with Transport office & Traffic Police...
Stakeholders’ Consultation on Road Safety in Madhya Pradesh
A stakeholders Consultation on Road Safety, was organised on 28th March 2023 at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh as a part of Road Safety project...
UN Road Safety Week (15th -21st May 2023) – Cyclothon in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
The cyclothon event was organized in Lucknow on 19 May 2023 as part of United Nations Global Road Safety Week at Kapurthala Intersection...
UN Road Safety Week (15th -21st May 2023) – Rallies by School Students in Guwahati, Assam
Students' community across Assam appealed to authorities for safer roads so that they can cycle, walk safely to schools during UN Road...
UN Road Safety Week (15th -21st May 2023) – Pedal for Change in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
Pedal for Change - The cyclothon event was organized in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on 20th May as part of UN Road Safety Week which is...
MEDIA REITERATES OUR EFFORTS
⇨ Walk to create road safety awareness
November 18, 2019 | The Telegraph
Citizens on Sunday participated in a walk organised by … Read more
⇨ City observes World Day of Remembrance
November 18, 2019 | The Sentinel
Consumer’s Legal Protection Forum, Assam, Consumer VOICE, …. Read more
⇨ Road Safety Network urges the government to issue an ordinance on road safety
February15, 2019 | Business Standard
A day after the last session of the current Lok Sabha, the Road Safety Network … Read more
⇨ Citizens Awareness Group holds walk in memory of mishap victims
The Citizens Awareness Group here organized a walk which originated from … Read more
⇨ Citizens Awareness Group holds walk
Citizens Awareness Group, Chandigarh with support from Consumer Voice,.. Read more