Global Road Safety Initiative | Consumer Voice

Road Safety Network urges government to strengthen helmet law

by admin | Jan 10, 2020 | Global Road Safety Initiative

Road Safety Network urges government to strengthen helmet law

Despite having a dismal record of road fatalities of two wheelers in 2019, Government of Gujarat has made the use of helmets optional in the state. The number of casualties stood at 55,336 in 2019 with 43,614 (79%) of them due to non-use of helmets. Of the 7996 fatalities in 2018, 2546 two-wheeler users (riders and pillions) were killed in the state of which 1546 were found not to be using a helmet. These startling facts were hardly a deterrent for the government and it is sad that the government instead of encouraging commuters to wear helmets, has made it optional.In order to avoid similar moves by other states, the members of the Road Safety Network, a national coalition of NGOs working to promote road safety in India, and the Active Traffic Consultative Committee (ATCC) have submitted representation to Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Mr. Nitin Gadkari urging him to immediately bring the amended section 129 of the Motor Vehicle Act into force.

The use of helmets always has been and is still mandatory under the law, including for pillion riders. The amended Motor Vehicles Act in fact takes away any power of the State to provide exemptions, other than that provided to Sikh men wearing turbans. This amendment has been made specifically to strengthen the helmet law to address the high fatality and injury rates amongst users of two-wheelers in the country.

Shri Ashim Sanyal, COO, Consumer VOICE Road Safety Network issued a statement in this regard and rightly pointed out that “the pronouncement of making ‘helmet optional’ by the state of Gujarat is going to set a wrong precedent for other states which is also contrary to the intent of the central legislation which aims to reduce road fatalities and strengthen road safety in India. The Union Government must act to prevent such dilution of law by the states”, adds Mr. Sanyal.

On behalf of The Road Safety Network, Mr Ashim Sanyal, therefore wrote a letter to Shri Nitin Gadkari, Hon’ble Minister of Road Transport and Highways, to immediately strengthen the helmet law by bringing into force amended Section 129 of the Motor Vehicles Act.

Click here to read the letter
Click here to read the media coverage

World Day of Remembrance 2019

by admin | Dec 9, 2019 | Global Road Safety Initiative, WDR

World Day of Remembrance 2019

“Life is not a Car Part”

The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDR) is commemorated on the third Sunday of November every year – to remember the many millions killed and injured on the world’s roads, together with their families, friends and many others who are also affected. This year’s slogan of World Day of Remembrance is ‘Life is not a Car Part’.Consumer VOICE considers Road Safety as an important safety issue for consumers. Considering this need we are educating consumers and spreading awareness on various road safety aspects through educational and outreach activities. The entire world experiences a number of road accidents and serious injuries. This annual global event represents a significant opportunity to call attention to the pathetic road safety situation in India.

This year Consumer VOICE along with its state partners organised various event on the occasion of WDR :

Media supported the events and provide wide coverage in the states.

Lucknow Uttar Pradesh:

Consumer Guild, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh with support from Consumer VOICE, Delhi, organized “Shraddhanjali Sabha” to pay tribute to road traffic victims on the occasion of World Day of Remembrance on 17th Nov 2019. A peaceful walk started from Kakori By Pass to the entry point of Lucknow – Agra Express Highway, Lucknow Uttar Pradesh and demanded safer roads for all. They also demanded the State Government to strongly implement the new rules of MVA 2019.

More than 50 people participated in the peace walk, including representatives from NGOs, lawyers, students, doctors, Nursing Association, bankers, corporate sector representative, Ex-Army Welfare Federation. Many Victims /Family members joined the event. This year’s slogan of World Day of Remembrance –“Life is not car part” was prominently displayed on banners and placards. Early notification of MVAA was demanded by the participants. The walkathon was ended by two minutes silence (mourn) in the memory of road accident victims and candles were lighted in the remembrance of Road Traffic Victims.

Ambala, Haryana:

Citizens Awareness Group, with support from Consumer VOICE, Delhi organized an event to strengthen road safety and tribute meeting for road safety victims on November 16th November 2019 at Amarapali hotel Ambala-Haryana. Shri Satyanarayan SHO Traffic, Shri Bhushan, Senior Road Safety Inspector, Shri Rashit Bajaj, Senior Road Safety Associate participated and addressed the gathering. They discussed about the positive aspects of theMVAA. Shri Surinder Verma-Chairman Citizens Awareness Group and Smt.Reena Singla Secretary were present along with people from NGOs, representative of CSOs working on road safety, and lawyer’s etc.It was covered well by Media. The tribute meeting was ended by two minutes silence in the memory of road accident victims and candles were lighted in the remembrance of Road Traffic Victims.

Guwahati, Assam:

Consumers’ Legal Protection Forum, Assam, with support from Consumer VOICE, Delhi organized a peaceful walk from Guwahati Medical College Road, Bhangagarh on Sunday 17 November in association with Chakshu, Guwahati to gave tribute on the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims and demanded safer roads for all. Dr. Karavi Barman, Principal-In-Charge, NEF Law College inaugurated the peace walk, students, residents ,representatives from NGOs /CSOs working on road safety and lawyers participated in the walk. It was a very successful event and media covered it well through print and online coverage. Strict Implementation of MVAA was demanded by the participants. The walkathon ended with a two-minute silence in the memory of road accident victims.

Delhi:

Bhartiya Manav Kalyan Samiti, Delhi with support from Consumer VOICE organized a peace walk at Mayur vihar in Delhi with participation from Local residents mainly parents of school going children. Citizen demanded for strict implementation of MVAA .A talk was also organized in which Shri S C Sharma of Bhartiya Manav Kalyan Samiti and Shri Hemant Upadhyay Consumer VOICE addressed the parents and children about road safety and main provisions of MVAA. The peace walk was ended by two minutes silence in the memory of road accident victims and candles were lighted in the remembrance of Road Traffic Victims.

Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh:

A Stakeholders Consultation on Strengthening Road Safety in the State of Madhya Pradesh organized by National Centre for Human Settlements & Environment (NCHSE), Bhopal with support from Consumer VOICE (New Delhi) on 19th Nov 2019. The objective of the event was to mark the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims and to create awareness about the road safety to minimize road accidents. Shri Naresh Annotia, DSP,Traffic stressed that youth need to be disciplined and follow traffic rules for not only to reduce the chances of road accidents, but to help smooth flow of traffic and reduce vehicular pollution in cities. Shri Himanshu Tiwari, Subedar (Traffic) spoke at length about the magnitude of road accidents, their causes and the lives it takes every year in India and in Madhya Pradesh. He explained various precautionary measures and traffic signage which every motor vehicle driver should know and follow to remain safe.

During discussion it was highlighted that despite Motor Vehicle Amendment Act 2019 became effective from 1st September 2019 and several states have implemented it, Government of Madhya Pradesh is yet to take a decision to implement it. It was also highlighted that the new provisions of MVAA have been made with the view to discourage offences and that the increase in penalties are not only a means of deterrent but also not high in real term if one consider the price escalation during the 30 years.

Click here to read all the media updates

Road Accidents in India – A Stark Reality for All

by admin | Nov 22, 2019 | Global Road Safety Initiative

Road Accidents in India – A Stark Reality for All

151,417 road fatalities in 2018
467,044 road traffic accidents
479,418 injuries registered in 2018 Children below 18 years accounted for 9977 (6.6%) road deaths and Young & adults in age group of 18 – 35 years accounted for 72,737 (48%) deaths

Least one can say about these facts are that they are alarming!

Road traffic continues to be a major developmental issue, a public health concern and is a leading cause of death and injury across the world killing more than 1.35 million globally in 2016 as reported in the Global Status report on Road Safety 2018 with 90% of these casualties taking place in the developing countries.

India, unfortunately ranks at the top with the highest number of fatalities at about 11% share in the world. It is followed by China and US. The “Road accidents in India 2018″ is an effort by the Ministry to highlight the state-wise data and causes of the accidents and fatalities.

The total number of accident related deaths in 2018 stood at 1,51,417 an increase of 2.3% from 2017. About 85% of the accident related deaths happen in the most productive age group of 18-60. Road accidents deaths not only cause severe trauma to the family of the victim but they also result in huge economic loss to the nation. Consumer VOICE remains deeply committed to reducing road accidents in the country and has been taking several measures to reduce the same.

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Role of Motor Vehicle Amendment Act 2019:

ROAD SAFETY INITIATIVE

The most important initiative taken by the Ministry this year in respect of Road Safety has been the enactment of the Motor Vehicle Amendment Act 2019 which, provides for a sharp hike in penalties for traffic violations. The other provisions of the Act include setting up of a National Road Safety Board, protection of “Good Samaritan”, cashless treatment during golden hour, provision of third party insurance, constitution of a Motor Vehicle fund with increased compensation for hit and run, automated fitness testing for vehicles, introduction of the provision for recall of vehicles etc.

Overview of Road Accidents in India:

A total of 4,67,044 road accidents have been reported by States and Union Territories (UTs) in the calendar year 2018, claiming 1,51,417 lives and causing injuries to 4,69,418 persons. In percentage terms, in 2018, the number of accidents has increased by 0.46 percent, persons killed has increased by 2.4% and injuries have decreased by 0.33 percent over 2017. Road accident severity measured by the number of persons killed per 100 accidents, has seen an increase of 0.6 percentage points in 2018 over the previous year.

During 2018, like the previous two years, young adults in the age group of 18 – 45 years accounted for nearly 69.6 percent of road accident victims. The working age group of 18 – 60 accounted for a share of 84.7 percent in the total road accident deaths.

Risk Factors

Some of the risk factors which accounted for road accidents in India in 2018 are:

Over speeding	64.4%
Wrong Lane Driving	5.8%
Use of Mobile Phones	2.4%
Drunken Driving	2.8%
Non-use of helmets	29%
Non-Use of seat belts	16%

State wise Data:

The State of Tamil Nadu recorded the highest number of road accidents (63, 920) in 2018 while the highest numbers reported as killed in 2018 were in the State of Uttar Pradesh (22,256). Both these States have maintained their leads in terms of number of accidents and number of persons killed since 2017 despite the several road safety initiatives taken by both the Central and State Government.

Top 5 States:

Tamil Nadu continues to retain the first rank in terms of accidents across States in 2018, despite a reduction of 2.5%. The State accounts for about 13.7% of the total accidents in the country in 2018. Similarly, the State of Madhya Pradesh maintains its second position in 2018 despite a reduction in accidents by 2,002. The State of Uttar Pradesh moved from the fourth position in 2017 to third in 2018 registering an increase in accidents by 3,785 (9.8%). The State of Karnataka also moved down from third in 2017 to fourth in 2018 registering a decline in accidents by 835 of ie a decline of 2% from 2017. The State of Kerala maintains its fifth position in 2018 by registering an increase of 4.4% in the number of accidents.

Road Fatalities:

Uttar Pradesh continues to retain the first rank in terms of accident related deaths across States in 2018, registering a 10.6% increase in the number of persons. The State accounts for about 14.7% of the total accident related deaths in the country in 2018. The State of Maharashtra occupies the second rank in terms of accident related deaths in 2018 and has moved up the rank by registering 997 road accidents.

Top 5 Cities:

It will be seen that Chennai ranks first followed by Delhi, Bengluru, Bhopal and Indore in terms of accidents in 2018. While in terms of those killed in 2018, Delhi ranks first followed by Chennai Kanpur, Jaipur and Bengaluru.

Chennai ranks first in road accidents (7,580) and number of persons injured (7,438). Delhi ranks first in number of fatalities (1,690). In terms of road-user categories, the share of two-wheeler riders in total road accident deaths has been the highest (36.5%) in 2018. Pedestrian road-users comprise 15% of those killed in road accidents during 2018 confirming the share provided by WHO.

Click here for the detailed MoRTH Report

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Stakeholders Consultation in Assam to adopt new rules of Motor Vehicles Act 2019 to strengthen road safety

by admin | Oct 11, 2019 | Global Road Safety Initiative

Stakeholders Consultation in Assam to adopt new rules of Motor Vehicles Act 2019 to strengthen road safety

Consumer Legal Protection Forum with support from Consumer VOICE, New Delhi organized a stakeholder workshop at hotel Aarian Atithya, Guwahati-Assam on 6 September 2019. The main objective of the workshop was to strengthen the road safety aspects of MVA 2019.Recently the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act 2019 has been passed with the approval of the President of India. This amendment aims to make Indian roads safer, reduce corruption and use technology to overhaul the country’s transportation system. The next step is to frame the Motor Vehicle Rules by Central and State governments to implement the amended law for improving road safety.

The consultation was inaugurated by Shri Ashim Sanyal, Chief Operating Officer Consumer VOICE with an introductory message on road safety. He highlighted the salient features of New Motor Vehicles Act 2019 and various comparable amendments related to road safety.

He said “The amendment Act will help to reduce road fatalities and injuries with the stringent penalties / other provisions and change the road habits of citizens who are breaking the rules. We urge the Assam government to include the new rules of MVA 2019 in the Assam Motor vehicle rules.”

The workshop was attended by various stakeholders including Shri Prasanta Saikia, DCP (Traffic), Commissioner of Police-Guwahati, Shri Gautam Das, District Transport Officer- Kamrup (R), Shri Joysing Rongphar, MVI, Kamrup and Bikram Gogoi, Enforcement Inspector . All distinguished guests expressed their views on the present road safety scenario in the state and welcomed the new act.

Shri Gautam Das District Transport Officer- Kamrup welcomed the new rules and said, “Our state is following the Central government MVA 1988 and also have Assam Motor Vehicles Rules 2003 which also includes the main risk factors of road safety. We will follow and include the new amended rules by MVA 2019 to make stringent enforcements”.

“In the last six months in Assam around 2,359 accidents occurred in which 1,980 people were injured and 928 lost their life. It’s time to take the new rules amended in Motor Vehicles Act 2019 to make police and transport departments enforcement drives more effective to prevent casualties adds District Transport Officer Das. His juniors also presented their positive viewpoints.

The consultation mainly focused on the six vital pillars of road safety (Speed, Helmet, Drunk-Driving, Mobile using while driving, Child Restraints,) which are seen as the best global practice to reduce road casualties. ”Ms. Rinki Sharma –Head Projects, Consumer VOICE presents details about six pillars of road safety and new provisions in amended laws etc.

Shri Ajoy Hazarika, Secretary, Consumer Legal Protection Forum also presented his views on adoption of the new Motor Vehicles Act to improve road safety measures in the state.

The programme was attended by around 40 people from transport department, traffic police department, civil societies, students and lawyers communities .

Later there was a meeting held with a Transport Commissioner- Shri Virender Mittal Transport Secretary, Shri Razvee Hussain Transport Joint Secretary Shri S. Ahmed where Shri Ashim Sanyal and Ms.Rinki Sharma handed over a memorandum mentioning to adopt the new rules in the state Motor Vehicles Act.

Click here for the Media Coverage

Stakeholders Consultation in Chandigarh to Adopt new rules of Motor Vehicles Act 2019

by admin | Oct 11, 2019 | Global Road Safety Initiative

Stakeholders Consultation in Chandigarh to Adopt new rules of Motor Vehicles Act 2019

Citizens Awareness Group along with Consumer VOICE, New Delhi organized a stakeholder workshop at Press Club, Sector 27-Chandigarh on 30th August 2019. The main objective of the workshop was to strengthen the road safety aspects of MVA 2019.

The consultation started with the introductory message by Shri Ashim Sanyal, COO, Consumer VOICE on road safety. He highlighted the salient features of New Motor Vehicles Act 2019 and various comparable amendments related to road safety.

He said “Motor Vehicles Amendment Act 1988 which came into force in 1989 was a 30 year old act which required a replacement. In the new Motor Vehicles Act 2019 around 89 provisions like increase in penalty related to risk factors such as drunk driving, over speeding, helmet wearing, seat belt and child restraint, culpability of parents of juveniles for violation of rules, provisions for the electronic monitoring and enforcement of road safety, good Samaritan provisions etc are included to strengthen road safety.

Speaking at the event Shri Virat, senior official from Registering and Licensing Authority of Chandigarh welcomes the new provisions in the Motor Vehicles Act 2019. He explained various amendments related to registration and licensing. He mentioned that besides penalties, these clauses are also very important for road users to know. He dwelt upon the centralized licensing and registration provisions.

A discussion also took place on the six pillars of road safety and new provisions, amended laws where Ms. Rinki Sharma, Head Projects-Consumer VOICE highlighted about the new fines on the traffic violations. Shri Surender Verma, Chairperson Citizens Awareness Group also presented his views on adoption of the new Act soon to improve road safety measures in the state.

The program was largely attended by Transport and Traffic Police officials, Students, Media, Civil society organisations and activists working on road safety . The event was well covered by regional media.

Stakeholders’ Consultation on Road Safety

by admin | Oct 1, 2019 | Global Road Safety Initiative

Stakeholders’ Consultation on Road Safety

In order to strengthen road safety, Consumer VOICE in association with its state partners of Lucknow, Guwahati and Chandigarh organized stakeholders’ consultation in these cities. The six pillars of road safety were stressed in all the consultations which help in reducing road accidents.

Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Consumer VOICE along with its state partner Consumer Guild organised a stakeholder’s consultation to strengthen road safety in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh on 19th Sep 2019. Purendra Singh, SP, Traffic was the chief guest of the programme. He welcomed the amended act and sought cooperation from all the road users for effective implementation. Vidisha Singh, regional transport officer (enforcement), welcomed the act and told that in Uttar Pradesh road safety cell is dedicated towards meeting the objective. She further said, the state government is taking road safety seriously and working towards reduction in crashes.

Deepak Nigam, a retired district additional judge appreciated the efforts taken up by the Supreme Court committee. The event consultation mainly focused on the six vital pillars of road safety which are seen as the best global practice to reduce road casualties. Ashim Sanyal, COO, Consumer VOICE presented the salient features of the new Act and discussed various comparable amendments related to road safety. Abhishek Shrivastava, chairperson, Consumers Guild appealed to all to cooperate for effective implementation of the amended act to save precious lives lost in crashes. The event was well attended by relevant officials, communities and garnered good media coverage also.

Guwahati, Assam

In Guwahati, Assam a stakeholder’s consultation was organized on 6th September by Consumer Legal Protection Forum supported by Consumer VOICE. Prasanta Saikia, DCP-Traffic, commissionerate of Police, Guwahati, Gautam Das, district transport officer, Kamrup (R), Joysing Rongphar, MVI, Kamrup and Bikram Gogoi, enforcement inspector, were present. They expressed their views on the present road safety scenario and welcomed the new act. Commenting on the issue, Das said, “We were following the Central Government MVA 1988 and also have Assam Motor Vehicles Rules 2003 which also includes the major road safety risk factors. We will follow and include the new amended rules by MVA 2019 to make stringent enforcements.”

The consultation mainly focused on the six vital pillars of road safety which are seen as the best global practice to reduce road casualties. Ashim Sanyal, COO, Consumer VOICE presented the salient features of the new Act and discussed various comparable amendments related to road safety. Rinki Sharma from Consumer VOICE team shared details about six pillars of road safety and new provisions, amended laws etc. Ajoy Hazarika, secretary, Consumer Legal Protection Forum also shared thoughts on the quick adoption of the new Act. Representatives of consumer organizations, police officials and traffic police officials, media persons and organizations working on road safety participated in the consultation. This initiative was also lauded by all relevant stakeholders and the event received very good media coverage.

Chandigarh

Consumer VOICE along with its state partner Citizen Awareness Group, Chandigarh organized a stakeholder’s consultation at Chandigarh on 30th August 2019. The stakeholders’ workshop had effectively covered the implementation of MVAA 2019 and created awareness on road safety pillars. Shri Virat, Registering and Licensing Authority of Chandigarh graced the workshop as key speaker. He welcomed the MVAA 2019 and explained various amendments related to registration and licensing. He explained that besides penalties, these clauses are also very important for road users to know.

The consultation mainly focused on the six vital pillars of road safety which are seen as the best global practice to reduce road casualties. Ashim Sanyal, COO, Consumer VOICE presented the salient features of the new Act and discussed various comparable amendments related to road safety. Discussion also took place on the six pillars of road safety and new provisions, amended laws etc. Surender Verma, chairperson, Consumer Legal Protection Forum also presented his thoughts on quick adoption of the new Act. Consumer VOICE and Citizen Awareness Group urged the government for speedy notification. The program was largely attended by transport and traffic police officials, students, media, CSOs and activist working on road safety. Like the other initiatives, this was also covered well by distinguished media houses.