Media Coverage in Lucknow

On the 3rd Sunday of November every year world over people remember those persons who have died in road accidents or other victims of road traffic crashes and their families. This event was founded in 1993 by RoadPeace a British charity group which works for road crash victims in the UK. This year marks the 25th anniversary of World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDoR). In the year 2005 this event was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly with The World Health Organization (WHO) pledging its support two years earlier.

Now every road has its own story. Some of these stories are tragic that are worth remembering. Roads are also final resting places for so many lives cut short. Roads & streets are more than just physical connections from point A to point B. Considering these points the slogan for this year’s WDoR is “Roads have Stories”. It is linked to the 2nd pillar of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020: Safer Roads & Mobility. Through WDoR the main aim is to raise the safety and quality of road networks for the benefit of all road users, especially the most vulnerable through infrastructure assessments and improved planning, design, construction and operation of roads.

In India this event holds more relevance than other countries because in absolute numbers the number of road crash deaths is second highest. Sample this – Last year in 2017 across India a total of 4,64,910 road accidents took place taking 1,47,913 lives and causing injuries to 4,70,975 persons. When we translate these figures, on an average 405 deaths took place every day or 17 deaths every hour. Though the number of road accidents have been declining from the peak of 5,01,423 in 2015 to 4,80,652 in 2016 and further to 4,64,910 in 2017 this is just a small drop in the ocean.

Consumer Voice and Citizen Awareness Group (Chandigarh) in collaboration with Chandigarh Traffic Police observed World Day of Remembrance for Road Accident Victims 2018 in Sector 23. The peace walk was organized to demand safer roads for all in which many city residents participated. More than 150 citizens and NSS students of DAV College Sector 10 took part in the event. A two-minute silence was observed in memory of those who lost their lives in road accidents. It was followed by a candle march. This annual global event represents a significant opportunity to call attention to the pathetic road safety situation in the country. Many victims also joined the event and shared their experiences. Some people started crying while narrating their harrowing stories. Inspector Sita Devi sensitized the students about road safety during the event. Traffic Inspector Mr. Dharmendra Chhabra addressed the audience and shared his experience.

In the end Mr. Surinder Verma, chairman of the group said, “The road safety bill promised by the government is yet to see the light of day. We are requesting the government to pass the Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill 2017 in the upcoming winter session of the Parliament. How can our nation become superpower when it is not able to provide even basic sense of safety on the roads? Ekta Purohit of Consumer VOICE said: “If this bill is further deferred, we will be putting at risk precious lives of citizens before the next session of Parliament can adopt it. These casualties may include thousands of innocent children and youths in their productive years of life. This is a clear case of carnage on our roads.”

The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDR) is observed on the third Sunday of November each year by an increasing number of countries on every continent around the world. This day is dedicated to remembering the many millions killed or injured in road crashes and their families and communities, as well as to pay tribute to the dedicated emergency crews, police and medical professionals who daily deal with the traumatic aftermath of road death and injury. This year marks the 25th anniversary of World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDoR). In the year 2005 this event was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly with The World Health Organization (WHO) pledging its support two years earlier.

National Centre for Human Settlements and Environment (NCHSE), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) in partnership with Consumer Voice, New Delhi organized a discussion-cum-documentary film show on Road accident victims to observe the World Day of Remembrance for road traffic victims. The theme of the event was “Roads have Stories-Voices of Victims”. This was followed by a presentation in which views were expressed by the relatives of some of the victims. These presentations highlighted the reasons of accidents, including the lack of safety features in cars manufactured in India. A documentary film titled “Aakhir Kab Tak” was screened. The film stressed the importance of first aid to accident victims during the golden hour of the accidents.  During the discussion participants expressed their views and some of them narrated their own stories, which reflected the need for stronger law to prevent and reduce road accidents and enable prompt help for the victims. A victim’s father narrated the incident of severe road accident which involved his son and his friend who were 10th standard students at that time of accident. He further stated that it would have been more disastrous had they been not taken to the hospital in the nick of time by a Good Samaritan. He concluded by saying that it is important that accident victims get immediate medical help after the accident. Mr. Harish Bhawnani, Convener, Bhopal Citizen Forum (Bureaucrats’ Forum) said that vehicles being manufactured in India lack essential safety features, which along with lack of pedestrian facilities in urban areas are the major reasons of road accidents.

NCHSE chairman Dr. Pradip Nandi said – “Road casualties are an epidemic and the governments can no longer afford to ignore. All avenues be it road design, licensing, driving skills, traffic management, vehicle design, policing, enforcement need to be addressed through a strong and comprehensive road safety legislation immediately.”