Remembering Victims on WDR – OPEd in Financial Express by Parvesh Verma
Remembering Victims on WDR – OPEd in Financial Express by Parvesh Verma
Ordinance on Road Safety
Ordinance on Road Safety
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Letter to Minister _with logos_130219_FINAL (1)
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Road Safety Week 2019 – Sadak Suraksha – Jeevan Raksha
Road Safety Week 2019 – Sadak Suraksha – Jeevan Raksha
A week to learn, to live for years – Road safety week from 4th to 10th February 2019 So many roads. So many detours. So many choices. This is where road safety comes into the picture. Roads which join us together, are unfortunately also responsible for parting ways with our loved ones. In India every year more than 1.5 lakh people die in road accidents and more than 5 lakh are severely injured. Taking road safety as a serious issue, India signed the Brasilia Declaration and committed to reducing road accidents and fatalities by half. But has that helped?
The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India will observe 30th Road Safety Week Campaign from 4th to 10th February 2019. The theme for this year campaign is “Sadak Suraksha – Jeevan Raksha”. Road Safety Week is organized to make people aware of the road safety rules and regulations and urging all the road users – whether pedestrians, drivers or pillion riders to follow the rules.
Present scenario of road safety in India
Annually over 1.5 lakh people lose their lives and another 5 lakhs are seriously injured in road crashes. Road accidents account for more than 44% of all un-natural accidental deaths in India and 51% of all those killed between the ages of 18 and 30 years. In addition to the loss of priceless human life and the emotional trauma suffered by those left behind, the economic hardship borne by the families who often lose the sole bread winner is severe. Those who are injured either suffer lifelong pain or permanent disability. The cost of recovery from an injury – emotional, physical and financial – is very high and takes a toll on the victims, their families and the community. The economic loss from road crashes is estimated at 3% of the GDP or Rs 4 lakh crores annually.
What can be done?
Only a strong legislation can save the precious lives lost in road accident every year. There is an urgent need to pass the long-pending Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill 2017 by the government.
Motor Vehicle Act (Amendment) Bill 2017 is important due to radical changes in a law which is now almost 30 year old. It proposes high penalties for various traffic offences, three-year jail for parents of minor drivers causing fatal accidents and a tenfold increase in compensation for families of accident victims.
What’s more-
- For deaths in hit-and-run cases, the government will provide a compensation of Rs 2 lakh or more to the victim’s family. Currently, the amount is just Rs 25,000.
- The bill has a provision for protection of Good Samaritans. Those who come forward to help accident victims will be protected from civil or criminal liability.
- The minimum fine for drunk driving has been increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000.
- Talking on a mobile phone while driving will attract a fine of Rs 5,000, up from Rs 1,000.
What should people do
Having a driving license is not enough, every person should be aware about the do’s and don’ts while on road and follow them. Few of them are: –
The Do’s
- Always wear helmet on two wheels
- Always wear seat belt in four wheelers
- Follow the speed limits
- Be courteous toward other drivers
- Give pedestrians the right-of-way in crosswalks
- Pay attention when you are driving, even if you are familiar with the area
- Stop on traffic signal when light is RED
- Always follow traffic rules
THE DON’Ts
- DON’T drink alcohol and drive, and don’t get in a car with a driver who has been drinking or using drugs
- Don’t try to overtake from the left and without indicators
- DON’T play loud music in the car, it may distract you while driving
- DON’T talk on your cell phone while driving
- DON’T engage in other activities, while driving, that distract your attention or reduce your reaction time. Example eating, talking, typing messages on phone etc.
Action points for all
- Let’s take a pledge to adhere to traffic rules
- Come together to support the passage of MVA Bill 2017 in ongoing Budget session of Parliament
- Follow traffic rules and request others to do so
- Educate others about traffic rules
OP-Ed on Road Safety by Shri Baijayant Jay Panda
OP-Ed on Road Safety by Shri Baijayant Jay Panda
A Stitch in Time Saves Nine – The Urgent Need to Pass the MVA Bill before it is too late
A Stitch in Time Saves Nine – The Urgent Need to Pass the MVA Bill before it is too late
22 people died and 14 others were injured when an overcrowded minibus plunged into a 300 foot gorge in Ramban district in Jammu-Srinagar national highway.
Six persons were killed while 15 others were severely wounded in a road accident near Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh.
At least two persons were killed and 15 others injured when a bus carrying tourists from Uttar Pradesh dashed against a truck in Bhadrak district in Odisha.
The above news made headlines in the recent months in various cities in India. Road accidents in India and the world over are a major cause of death among all age groups especially among children aged 5-14 and young adults aged 15–29 years.
In 2017, more than 9,000 children died in road accidents in India comprising 6.4% of all the road users who died in road casualties.
As per report published in WHO, about 1.35 million people die each year on the world’s roads and between 20 and 50 million sustain non-fatal injuries.
In India, though the number of road accidents was down by 3.3% and the number of injuries by 4.8% in 2017 as compared to 2016,road traffic injuries still continue to be one of the leading causes of death, disabilities and hospitalization in the country. The report which was recently released by MoRTH (Ministry of Road and Traffic Highways), states that a total of 4,64,910 road accidents have been reported by States and Union Territories (UTs) in the calendar year 2017, claiming 1,47,913 lives and causing injuries to 4,70,975 persons.
In terms of road-user categories, the share of two-wheeler riders in total fatality has been highest (33%) in 2017. Pedestrian road-users comprise 13.8 percent of persons killed in road accidents during 2017.
Though several measures have been undertaken by various states and Union Territories, Tamil Nadu has recorded the highest number of road accidents in 2017, but the number of persons killed in road accident has been highest in Uttar Pradesh. The top 5 among the States which achieved reduction in number of accident are Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal and Karnataka. Among the States which recorded higher number of accidents in 2017 are Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Nagaland and Odisha.
Top 15 States in total road accidents – 2017
Source: MoRTH
If one looks at the types of vehicle involved in road accidents, two-wheeler accounted for the highest vehicle category-wise share in road accidents which was 34% while trucks, tempos and tractors contributed to 20% of road accidents in 2017.
Share of different vehicle types in road accidents 2017
Source: MoRTH
What can be done to minimise road accidents?
Before taking any measures, one needs to critically analyse the causes. Road accidents are result of various factors which can broadly be categorized into human errors, road condition/environment and vehicular condition. Some of the factors responsible for road accidents are:
- Over speeding
- Driving on wrong side
- Use of mobile phones while driving
- Drunken driving
Another major cause of road accident is the lack of use of safety devices like helmets and seat belts are also responsible for road accidents. In 2017, a total of 48,746 road users on two-wheelers lost their lives to road accidents and out of this, 73.8% did not wear helmets.
One can therefore understand the importance of road safety and a delay in the passage of Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill 2017, which proposes a slew of measures like increasing of fines, is further compounding to the number of accidents every hour.
Some of the proposals in MVA Bill 2017
- The minimum fine for drunk driving has been increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000.
- The fine for overspeeding will be from Rs 400 to Rs 1000-2,000
- Not wearing seatbelt will attract a fine of Rs 1000
Some of the key provisions of the proposed bill include:
- It proposes to make safety belt or child restraint system mandatory in car for children below 14 years with a stiff penalty of Rs 1000.
- Guardian/Owner shall be deemed to be guilty with Rs. 25000 penalty and/or 3 years imprisonment with cancellation of registration of vehicle for juveniles’ drivers.
- Penalty of Rs 1000 and subsequent disqualification of driving license for not wearing helmet.
The bill has provision for protection of Good Samaritans. Those who come forward to help accident victims will be protected from civil or criminal liability. It will be optional for them to disclose their identity to the police or medical personnel.
Consumer VOICE along with its state partners are therefore urging the government to quickly pass the MVA Bill 2017 in this winter session in the Parliament so that all the states can implement the road safety measures.
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