The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
NEW DELHI, JULY 20, 2023
As it seems impossible to achieve the target of reducing road accidents in India by 50 per cent by 2024 due to many shortcomings, Road Safety Network – a coalition of organizations working together for improvement of road safety in India – urged Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari to implement measures such as setting up of National Road Safety Board, and focusing and protecting road users including pedestrians and cyclists, at the earliest.
The Road Safety Network (RSN) also called for a zero tolerance enforcement policy for risk factors (speeding, non-use of helmet/seat belt, drink and drive) and thorough review of unsafe speed on National, State and Urban roads.
“We are in the middle of the year 2023. As per the MoRTH (Ministry of Road Transport and Highways) report, crash fatalities rate has been increasing with every passing year instead of going down. Road crash fatalities dropped in the year 2020 due to Covid-induced lockdown; however in 2021 the number showed significant increase again even compared to 2019,” noted the RSN in the letter to the Union Minister.
It also suggested to MoRTH that the Road Safety Action Plan prepared by the Ministry should be reviewed on a half-yearly basis to see the achievement of the set target.
“Unless such intermediate measures are set or evaluated, we will not be able to achieve the overall target by 2030,” RSN said in its letter.
Consumer VOICE CEO Ashim Sanyal said, “The MoRTH Minister, at our National webinar on Road Safety in 2020, had expressed confidence of achieving the target of 50 percent reduction in fatalities/crashes by 2024. But, it looks impossible now.
Road crashes are preventable. Studies have shown that with adoption of appropriate road safety measures, targets can be achieved. It however, needs political will, focus on risk factors, data-driven analysis and scientific approach. India is failing on several fronts in road safety. These measures are not very resource or time intensive and can be quickly implemented. It will be an important commitment to reduce road casualties by 2024 for saving valuable lives on Indian roads,” Sanyal suggested.
He further asserted that India needs a safe system approach wherein every stakeholder should have a part and responsibility to play. Failing to give priority to road safety measures will only worsen the situation. “If the same situation persists, we would be nowhere close to achieving the target of reducing road accidents by 50 per cent by 2024,” he cautioned.
