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Our aim is to provide road safety information for road users to encourage safer road user behaviour among current and prospective road users and reduce the number of people killed and injured on our roads every year.
Overview of Road Accidents in India
The Indian road network, spanning over five million kilometers, carried almost 90 percent of the country’s passenger traffic and about 65 percent of the goods. … However, it accounted for about six percent of the total global road accidents. In 2018, there were around 151 thousand deaths due to road accidents in India.
Road Safety Rules for Kids / Children
Know your Safety Signals
Your kid should know about basic traffic signals, such as vehicles have to stop at the ‘red’ light and ‘green’ means the vehicle should resume driving, etc. Doing so will help them understand that they can cross a road once the vehicles come to a stop.
Safety Rules while crossing the road
Stop, Look, And Cross- At times, your child may have to walk on a public road alone, He should know that when crossing a street, he should first stop and look for any approaching vehicle and start crossing the street only if there’s no vehicle in sight. Of course, at traffic signals, he should cross the road only when the light goes red.
Always Pay Attention – Listen to Warnings
Pay Attention – Ask your kids to pay attention to horns and even to sounds of the vehicle so that they can judge if there is some car or motorcycle driving towards them from a bend or from behind.
Never Run On Busy Roads and Crossing Time
Don’t Run On Roads – Children should never run on roads as that might not only cause them to lose balance and fall on a busy street but also because it might confuse other road-users, who might end up colliding with the kid.
Always Use Sidewalk
Kids should use a footpath (Sidewalk) when walking on the road. Set an example for them by using the walking paths yourself.
Crossroads and Pedestrian Crossing – Kids tend to start running or walking across a street, anywhere they wish to. This is dangerous and kids should be to told to cross a road only on a pedestrian crossing and when the vehicular movement is suspended during a red light.
Road Safety Rules for Cars
Road safety for cars
- Always wear your seat-belt – Make sure you’re belted up at all times, even if you’re in the rear seat. This will not only save you from fines but will even keep you protected.
- Avoid distractions – Distracted driving is among the major causes of accidents. Hence, one should avoid taking phone calls while driving. Basically, a driver should stay fully focussed on road at all times.
- Never ever drive under the influence of alcohol or any sort of intoxicating substance. Doing so can lead you to lose control while driving and end up in a mishap. It’s also illegal to drive drunk or in an intoxicated state.
- Always respect the speed limits as driving at higher speeds can land you with a challan and worst, still, cause an accident.
- Maintain your car – One should always maintain his car to ensure high road safety as driving an ill-maintained vehicle can cause an accident, thereby causing injury to you as well as other road users.
Traffic and Road Safety Issues
It is true that both the authorities and the road users are totally informed about the need for enhanced road safety and traffic awareness. Still, there are many traffic safety issues in India.
- Negligence of Civilians: It’s true that the civilians make the most hue and cry about the road safety issues. Still, however, the same people can be often seen not respecting the traffic rules. This is something that is quite worrying as they take rules lightly even after knowing that breaking the road safety rules is dangerous.
- Poor Condition of roads: Another huge road safety issue that we face is that of poor infrastructure. Poor road designs and badly maintained roads often lead to mishaps. They also take a toll on the vehicles.
- Unsafe Vehicle Design: It is not uncommon to see Indian manufacturers not paying as much importance to the safety quotient of their vehicles as they do on vehicles they sell in the west. It’s important to look into this urgently and come up with a solution.
- Under-implementation of Road Safety Standards: At times, the required road signs or markings are missing, which is something that should be corrected at the earliest.
- Indifferent Government: Lack of proper planning by the government often leads to motorists suffering from poor road safety standards. It has also been seen that the contractors who offer at least 10 years of warranty on their projects abroad make sub-standard roads in India that get washed away in monsoon.
- Lack of proper law enforcement’s: Having laws is one thing and their enforcement is something other. While proper laws are already in place, the need of the hour is to implement them to the fullest.
- Lack of Emergency Services: Often, some of our roads lack emergency services and in case of an accident, a quick response team is simply not available. Often, the victim succumbs to his injuries by the time he is taken to a hospital.
Moving & Hauling
What steps can be taken to improve Road Safety in India?
Different sectors of society should join hands in this direction to ensure high traffic awareness and that road safety rules in India are followed. Here is all that the government and public need to work on –
- Launch and proper implementation of road safety policies.
- Effective use of resources to ensure high road safety.
- Allocate higher funds for road safety programmes
- Local government can play a leading role in proper implementation of road safety rules in India by proper planning of road facilities in residential areas
- Curb the menace of drunk driving
- Provide support and leadership for road safety campaigns and initiatives.
- Persuade local communities to participate in workshops on an understanding of road safety rules in India.
- Promote road safety education in schools so that the required knowledge can be provided at an early age
- Assist in the life-long education of road users.
- Media can help improve community awareness by getting an understanding of factors that cause road accidents and then spreading awareness on the same.
- Media can also support road safety initiatives through
- Police and Enforcement Agencies can behaviour and temperament of road user behaviour and vehicle standards through a balance of education, encouragement and effective enforcement strategies.
- Maximise the effectiveness of enforcement through the use of proven techniques and technology.
- Police can also use crash data to identify sensitive areas and then work on mitigating the mishap-causing factors.
- Health Agencies can ensure the development of effective emergency services
- Advise patients of the effects of drugs and medication on road user performance.
- Provide feedback from injury assessment to improve vehicle occupant protection and road safety policy.
- The authorities should adopt effective and safe traffic management measures in planning transport and land-use developments.
- Pay particular attention to the safety requirements of people with disabilities, older people, children, pedestrians, bicycle riders and other non -motorised road users in the planning task.
- Road Engineers and Highway Authorities can Improve the safety performance of the road network by ensuring proper planning, construction and maintenance
- Apply crash reduction and crash prevention techniques to create safer roads
- Alcohol and Hospitality Entertainment Industry can adopt responsible standards of alcohol serving and host responsibility programmes for drivers
- Usage of better labelling of the alcoholic content of beverages.
- Promote the consumption of low-alcohol beverages in preference to higher ones
- Car companies can improve the crashworthiness of their vehicles.
- Introduce in-vehicle crash avoidance technology.
- Use advertisements and CSR activities to promote road safety rules in India.
- Only less than 5-year-old to be imported
- Use more modern vehicles, particularly in the Heavy Commercial Vehicle segment
- Advertisers can stop advertising products which glamorize unsafe driving practices
- Advertisers can also encourage safer practices and products.
- Universities can ensure there is equal importance given to basic and applied topics.
- Universities can also ensure that road safety research is of high quality and that its implication takes place properly
- Provide reliable research results and knowledge against which policy decisions can be made.
- All Organization can promote safe practices in fleet operation.
- Larger fleet operators can encourage staff to participate in defensive driving courses
- Individual Road Users can commit to oneself to improve road safety by respecting the traffic safety rules
Road Safety Initiatives taken by Indian Government
The Ministry of Road Transportation and Highways (M.O.R.T.H.) has taken a number of steps to promote high traffic awareness and proper implementation of road safety. This is being done through –
- Important Schemes administered by Road Safety cell are:
- Publicity Programs
- Grants-in-aid to Voluntary Organizations for organizing road safety programs
- National Highway Accident Relief Service Scheme
- Refresher Training to Heavy Vehicle Drivers in Unorganized Sector
- Setting up of Model Driving Training school
As per the huge road sector program undertaken by M.O.R.T.H., the government of India has been working closely with World Bank and Asian Development Bank to improve road safety. The steps that are taken for this include-
- The most important project undertaken by the Indian Government has been the “National Highway Development Program”, “Rural Roads Project” under the leadership of Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
- “NGOs” have come up in many cities to deal with this problem at their levels.
- “Police Departments” hold road safety weeks, painting competitions.
- “Road Safety Cell” of the ministry has also been working closely to strengthen institutions and organizations. They have come up with an awards scheme for awarding organizations/individuals making outstanding contribution in the fields.
Road Safety Tips
Few important Road Safety Tips are mentioned below :
- Never use the mobile phone while driving
- Always use seatbelt even when occupying the rear seat
- Don’t drink and drive
- Adhere to speed limits
- Take special care of children, senior citizens and pedestrians.
- Don’t drive under fatigue
- Walk cautiously on public roads
- Always observe other road users and try to ensure your safety from their vehicles
- Keep your distances
- Always wear helmets and seat belts
Courses on “Road Safety Management” and “Road Accident Investigation”
Course Content:
- Traffic Control Devices
- Legislation as the causative factors of Road Traffic Accidents
- Crash Investigation
- Road Safety Audit
- Post-Crash Management- Handling of Crash Victims
- Technology in Traffic
- Vehicle Safety Standard
- Crash Scene Management
- Forensic Evidence Collection
The proposed Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Program (BNVSAP) will be a mandatory assessment system. It will rate motor vehicles with stars according to how they fare against crash tests conducted by the Ministry of Heavy Industries in India. This will ensure that safer vehicles are used on the road.
The Road Safety Week is happening across India from 11th January 2020 to 17th January 2020. It is the 31st road safety week that is being observed. The one-week long initiative across the subcontinent aims at making the streets safer.
In light of the important role being played by the Personnel of the Transport, Traffic and Municipal Corporations of the Indian States in good governance, the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways is sponsoring various Workshops-cum-Training programmes on crucial issues related to Road Safety and the Transport sector.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the essential road safety rules?
- Never Drink & Drive.
- Always Wear Seat Belt.
- Keep a Safe Distance from the vehicle ahead.
- Always Avoid Distractions.
- Never Break Red Signal.
- Always Drive Within Speed Limit.
- Avoid the Drowsiness While Driving.
What is the major cause of road accidents in India?
One of the most leading causes of road accidents is distracted driving. The number of accidents occurring due to distracted driving has increased in the past decades. Undivided attention while driving is a must and drivers should inculcate the same within them.