World Day of Remembrance – Madhya Pradesh

World Day of Remembrance – Madhya Pradesh

World Day of Remembrance – Madhya Pradesh

National Centre for Human Settlements & Environment (NCHSE), Bhopal, a non-government organization, in partnership with New Delhi based Consumer Voice and Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism (MCU), Bhopal organized a workshop on Reducing Traffic Accidents vis a vis Injury and Fatalities through Reducing Traffic Speed” at MCU, Bhopal on 24th November, 2021 to mark “World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims”.

Prof K G Suresh, Vice Chancellor, MCU, Chief Guests of the event called upon the youth to understand their responsibility regarding road safety. He asserted that one should wear helmet and seat belts and follow other road safety standards. Students of Jounalism and Communication can play an important role in creating awareness about road safety. Media should make efforts to change the mindset and behavior of the society regarding road safety. He further stated that road accidents rather than crash usually occur due to our fault. Road accidents can be reduced if we follow the rules. He further stated that one should not be careless and overconfident about driving a vehicle. Seat belts and helmets protect you from serious injuries. If we care about ourselves and our family members, then we should not be so careless. He emphasized that most of the victims of road accidents are youth.

Dr Pradip Nandi, Director General, NCHSE said that World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is dedicated to remembering the many millions of road traffic victims throughout the world. This year the day has a special significance as it marks the start of the new Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030. He also presented the Road Safety scenario worldwide as well as in India and the provisions of Motor Vehicle Amendment Act, 2019 to prevent traffic accidents. He pointed out that as per the Road Accident Report for 2019, published by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways in 2020, road accidents continue as a leading cause of death and disabilities in the country despite commitment and efforts by the GOI and the states. Referring to the report he said that in 2019, 449,002 road accidents caused 151,113 death and injuries to 451,361 persons in the country. This includes 11,249 deaths in 50,669 road accidents in Madhya Pradesh.  He said that maximum fatalities or grievous injuries are suffered by the working age group, which not only affect the person suffered the injury but affects the entire family financially. He further added that it is alarming and there is need for create awareness among youth and working group of people to abide by the safety measures including reducing speed/ provisions of the Motor Vehicle Amendment Act 2019.

Shri Manoj Khatri, DSP, Traffic, Bhopal spoke about the action being taken by the state government especially in Bhopal with emphasis on identification of black spots to prevent road accidents to save lives. He discussed the significance of traffic signs in details and stressed upon to consider 4Es – Education, Engineering (Road Construction), Enforcement & Emergency care.  

Dr. S.K.Saxena, Senior Surgical Specialist & Civil Surgeon and Former  Medical Adviser to Human Rights Commission said that the role of a good Samaritan, especially his/her promptness is very crucial to save lives and thus to reduce fatalities among road accident victims. He highlighted the importance of generation of data and their analysis to develop strategy to save lives of critically injured road accident victims. 

Dr. Rahul Tiwari, Assistant Professor of MANIT called upon the participants to make use of technical expertise on mass communication available with them and suggested documentation of field works, writing papers and publishing them to create awareness to prevent traffic accidents and save lives of traffic accident victims.

Ms Deepika Rao and Mr. Suresh Nair, both relatives of Road Traffic Victims, expressed their feeling and traumatic experience when their dear ones suffered injuries due to road accidents and how they had to overcome stress and anxiety. 

More than 100 persons, comprising of students of 18-20 age group, faculties, police personnel and few road accident victims and senior citizens participated the workshop. The guests were presented with mementos. 

Shri Avinash Shrivastava, Dy Director, NCHSE conducted the programme and Dr. Sanjeev Gupta, Professor of Communication, MCU gave vote of Thanks.

Oath Taking:

Shri Manoj Khari, DSP Traffic, Bhopal administered the oath to the participants to obey traffic rules and act as a Good Samaritan and help road accident victims.

Forming a Chain to advocate Traffic Safety: 

Besides the participants of the workshop, university staff participated in forming a chain holding play card having messages of traffic safety within the University Campus to create awareness on traffic safety.

Media Coverage’s

World Day of Remembrance – West Bengal

World Day of Remembrance – West Bengal

World Day of Remembrance – West Bengal

To mark the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, Honcho Tech For Good Foundation with support from Consumer VOICE organized various public events in Kolkata and North 24 Parganas, West Bengal on 23rd November. It received a huge amount of support from Kolkata Traffic police officials, doctors, representative from Transport department, college students who actively participated and supported the road safety initiative. More than 50 students supported the cause along with Kolkata police officials and reached out to more than 1000 commuters and drivers.

Various sensitization related activities were organized such as session on golden hour action, importance on wearing helmets and so on. Sticker and pamphlets were also distributed for the same. 45 helmets were distributed among Road Traffic Violators and Safe Drive Save Life stickers were given to 200 cars.

This sensitization took place across sensitive and accident prone areas of Kolkata which included Patuli. Bagha Jatin, Garia, Malancha and Minakhan.  It was also attended by Shri. Gautam Sarkar (IPS) Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kolkata Traffic Police, Shri. Prabir Bhattacharya Officer in Charge, Garia Traffic Guard, Kolkata Traffic Police, Shri. Kaushik Majumder Sergeant & Save Drive Save Life Programme Coordinator, Shri. Joydev Pal Officer in Charge, Minakhan Traffic Police, West Bengal Traffic Police, Dr. Souvanik Bhattacharya Doctor Representative, For Session on Golden Hour Action, Shri Biswajit Mondal representative from Transport Department and all traffic police officials from Minakhan Traffic Guard.

Media Coverage’s

Road Safety Network submitted recommendations to mitigate road crashes and deaths during lockdown

Road Safety Network submitted recommendations to mitigate road crashes and deaths during lockdown

So far, during the lockdown a total of 1,137 crashes are recoded nationwide and 274 road crash deaths are reported. Consumer VOICE along with its partners have been maintaining a ‘Road Crash Tracker’ to document road crash deaths and traffic violations during the lockdown since March 25 until now. Road crashes killed 1,51,417 people in 2018.If on one hand the graph of COVID-19 cases is rising in India, on the other hand the number of road accidents especially of migrant labourers who are trying to return home during the ongoing lockdown is also steadily increasing.  As per reports, India recorded about 600 road crashes in the first two phases of the lockdown. The scenes of migrant labourers trying to reach home by adopting desperate measures is too hard to even watch on TV channels or read in newspapers. The “pathetic condition of migrant labourers…is nothing but a human tragedy”, as has been rightly put by the Madras High Court where lakhs of migrant labourers have resorted to desperate measures and are forced to return home after having rendered jobless and homeless.

While the central and respective state governments are trying their best to help migrants return home safely, there are several risk factors which need immediate attention. Risk factors like speeding, driving while fatigued, not wearing helmets continue to be responsible for the fatalities across the states. Speeding on empty roads has been one of the most common reasons for road crash deaths across States. Pedestrians in both urban areas, as well as State and National Highways, remain at tremendous risk from speeding vehicles. There is an urgent need to effectively enforce speed limits. Media reports indicate that driver fatigue combined with speeding has been responsible for the recent crashes.

In order to combat this, Road Safety Network, a National Coalition of organizations promoting safe roads in India has submitted a list of 15 recommendations to the Home Ministry to ensure the safety of migrants traveling on road. The recommendations are aimed at mitigating specific risk factors like speeding, driving while fatigued, overcrowding etc. Some of the recommendations are specifically towards the safety of migrant workers returning home” said, Ashim Sanyal, COO, Consumer VOICE organisation part of Road Safety Network.

These deaths were probably not even part of the framework as it was not anticipated. But it is now time to act!

(Facts sourced from various national dailies)

31st National Road Safety Week – Bringing Change Through Youth Power

31st National Road Safety Week – Bringing Change Through Youth Power

31st National Road Safety Week – Bringing Change Through Youth Power

Road Safety Week is organized every year to increase awareness among the citizens of India. In India every year more than 1.5 lakh people die in road accidents and more than 5 lakh are severely injured. This year the 31st National Road Safety Week was observed across India from 11th Jan – 17th Jan 2020 with Shri Nitin Gadkari, Hon’ble Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Shri Rajnath Singh, Hon’ble Defence Minister of India inaugurating the ceremony at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on 13th January. The theme for this year was ‘Bringing change through youth power’. The 5 major risk factors of road safety that were addressed during the week were – Over speeding, helmet, seatbelt, drunk-driving and usage of mobile phones while driving.Consumer VOICE, which has been a pioneer of road safety, observed Road Safety Week along with state partners for Safer Roads in India and highlighted the importance of New Motor Vehicles Act 2019. As per the Ministry’s latest statement in Lok Sabha the number of deaths caused due to road accidents in India reduced by at least 9% in first two months after the amended MV Act came into effect on September 2019. The amendment Act will help to reduce the road fatalities and injuries with the stringent penalties / other provisions and enforce safe driving on Indian roads.

Lucknow, UP

In Lucknow, Consumer VOICE organized an expert session-cum-sensitization workshop activity with participation from consumer organizations, road safety experts, road accident victims, among others. Consumer Coordination Council (an apex body of Consumer Organizations across India) supported the National Road Safety Week . In this event heads of consumer organizations from around 23 states / UTs participated. The event was to echo the voices of road safety and implementation of MVA 2019 across the country.

Addressing the event Ms. Rinki Sharma-Head Projects, Consumer VOICE said, “The amendment Act will help to reduce the road fatalities and injuries and change the road habits of citizens who are breaking the rules”. Besides representatives of consumer organizations, lawyers, road safety experts including road traffic victims were also present in the workshop.

Team members of Consumer VOICE, Delhi Shri Hemanth Upadhyay and Ms.Rinki Sharma along with Shri Abhishek Srivastava – Chairman of Consumer’s Guild, Lucknow submitted a memorandum on road safety to Transport Commissioner, Uttar Pradesh, Shri Dheeraj Prasad Sahu and Shri Ganga Phal, Additional Transport Commissioner, Uttar Pradesh. The main objective of submitting the memorandum is to strengthen road safety  and implementation of Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, 2019 in the state of Uttar Pradesh and requested the state government to notify the amended rules and implement it on priority without any dilution of the provisions.

Guwahati, Assam

The Assam state government organised a road safety awareness program on 11th Jan 2020 to sensitize all stakeholders on safer road mobility. Activists from Consumer Legal Protection Forum (CLPF), Assam state partner for Consumer VOICE, actively participated in the workshop to learn and further share their experiences. Consumer Legal Protection Forum appreciated the efforts of the Assam government for the implementation of New Motor Vehicles Act, 2019.

Consumer VOICE along with its state partners also shared a press note appreciating the government for their efforts towards implementation of Motor Vehicles Act 2019.

Media Coverage on Road Safety Week

World Day of Remembrance 2019

World Day of Remembrance 2019

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.

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