Media Coverage On UN Resolution On Global Road Safety

Consumer Voice Urges Nitin Gadkri To Join Hands With The UN General Assembly In Their Resolution To Tackle Global Road Safety Problem

Road crashes kill more than 1.3 million people each year and in India the road traffic mortality is 16.6 per 100 000 population. As per the latest report released by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, a total of 480,652 road accidents took place in India in 2016, which resulted in the loss of 150,785 human lives and left 494,625 people injured. India is losing per day more than 400 lives on roads.

Stressing that road traffic deaths and injuries remained a major public health and development problem with broad social and economic consequences. The international community has recognized road safety as a critical component of the global development agenda through the adoption of a resolution to improve global road safety at the United Nations General Assembly.

In wake of the United Nations General Assembly’s (UNGA) announcement to adopt a new resolution, Improving Global Road Safety, calling for strong and urgent global action to improve global road safety, Consumer Voice has written a letter to the Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari asking him to follow suit and pass the long-pending road safety law in the upcoming session of parliament. The commitment by the United Nations to tackle these deaths through the Decade of Action on Road Safety and through the Sustainable Development Goals (Goal 3.6: reduce road deaths by 50 percent by 2020 and 11.2: provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all) are an indication of the action required.

“The road safety law is pending in the Parliament since one year. Each day delay is costing more than 400 Indians their lives in avoidable road crashes every day” says Mr. Ashim Sanyal, Chief Operating Officer, Consumer Voice. “With the adoption of the United Nations General Assembly resolution on road safety, Our government must join the UN and act to stop this public health crisis” adds Mr. Sanyal. Seeking for early passage of the road safety bill, there has been widespread media coverage by various national and local newspapers.