Challenges to road safety in India

Syllabus :GS 2/Governance /GS 3/Economy

In News

• Recently, The “India Status Report on Road Safety 2024,” prepared by the TRIP Centre at IIT Delhi,

About the report 

• It highlights India’s slow progress in reducing road accident fatalities and emphasizes the link between road construction, mobility, and the need for targeted accident mitigation strategies.
• It analyzed road safety  in India, using data from First Information Reports (FIRs) from six States and audits of State compliance with Supreme Court directives on road safety governance.

Key Findings 

• State wise  :It revealed disparities in road traffic death rates across States.
  • High death rates in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh; lower rates in West Bengal and Bihar.
  • Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu account for nearly half of all traffic fatalities.

• Vulnerable group: pedestrians, cyclists, and motorised two-wheeler riders are the most common victims of road accidents, while trucks are responsible for the highest proportion of impacting vehicles. 
• Global Comparison: India’s road safety performance is significantly worse compared to developed countries like Sweden.
  • The likelihood of dying in a road accident in India has increased sharply compared to these countries over the past decades.

Issues and concerns 

• Current national road safety data systems are inadequate.
  • Only eight States have audited more than half of their National Highway lengths, and very few States have done the same for their State Highways.
  • Basic traffic safety measures, including traffic calming, markings, and signage, are still lacking in most States
• Lack of a national crash-level database and reliance on aggregated police records limit effective analysis and intervention.
• Helmet usage is low, especially in rural areas, and trauma care facilities are inadequate.
• Road traffic injuries are a major public health issue with minimal progress in reducing fatalities.
  • Most Indian States are unlikely to meet the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety goal to halve traffic deaths by 2030.

Recommendations:

• Road safety education is as vital as other basic survival skills.
• Central and State governments need to prioritise the scale-up of road safety interventions. 
• A national database for fatal crashes should be established.
  •  Public access to this system will improve understanding of specific risks to road users and the effectiveness of various interventions implemented in the States.
•  Tailored strategies are essential to address the unique road safety challenges faced by different States

Source:TH