Syllabus: GS2/ Governance
Context
- The Minister of Road Transport and Highways has mentioned that India is losing 3% of its GDP due to around five lakh road accidents annually in the country.
Report on Road Accidents in India (2022)
- In 2022, there were 4,61,312 road accidents in India, causing 4,43,366 injuries and 1,68,491 fatalities.
- Compared to 2021, accidents increased by 11.9%, deaths by 9.4%, and injuries by 15.3% in 2022.
- The accident severity (deaths per 100 accidents) decreased from 37.3 in 2021 to 36.5 in 2022.
- Young adults (18-45 years) made up 66.5% of road accident victims, while 83.4% of fatalities were from people aged 18-60.
- Two-wheelers accounted for 44.5% of road accident deaths, followed by pedestrians (19.5%), cars/taxis/vans (12.5%), and trucks (6.3%).
- Overspeeding was the leading cause, responsible for 72.3% of accidents and 71.2% of deaths in 2022.
| Do you know? – In September 2020, the UN General Assembly launched the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 which aims to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by at least 50 per cent by 2030. – The 2nd Global High-Level Conference on Road Safety was held in Brazil, which declared 2011-2020 as the 1st decade of action for Road Safety. 1. In the Brasilia Declaration, the participating countries set targets under the Sustainable Development Goals and pledged to reduce road crash fatalities by 50% in the next 5 years. |
How does Road Accidents lead to Loss of GDP
- Medical treatment costs for accident victims strain healthcare resources.
- Infrastructure damage from accidents requires financial resources for repairs.
- Loss of income due to temporary or permanent disability of accident victims affects economic productivity.
- Increased insurance and legal costs add to the financial burden on businesses and individuals.
- Road accidents reduce tourism and commercial transport efficiency, impacting the economy.
- Loss of life and productivity in young and working-age populations (18-45 years) further impacts GDP growth.
Government Initiatives
- National Road Safety Policy India, 2010: It emphasized the need for better road infrastructure, stricter enforcement of traffic rules, enhanced emergency medical services, public awareness campaigns, and improved post-crash care.
- Electronic Detailed Accident Report (e-DAR)/ Integrated Road Accident Database (iRAD): Centralized system for reporting, managing, and analyzing road accident data to improve safety.
- Speedy Assistance to Accident Victims:
- Award ₹25,000 for Good Samaritans who help accident victims.
- Faster compensation: ₹2.5 lakh for grievous hurt, ₹5 lakh for death.
- Enhanced compensation for hit-and-run victims: ₹2 lakh for death, ₹50,000 for grievous hurt.
- Simplified procedures for third-party insurance, including hired drivers.
- Vehicle Fitness: Old, unfit vehicles contribute to accidents. The Ministry is setting up model Inspection and Certification Centers across States/UTs (28 States/UTs covered by 2024).
- IIT Madras Collaboration: Establishing a Center of Excellence for Road Safety to develop new products, conduct research, and promote safety initiatives.
- Accident Blackspot Rectification: Priority on identifying and improving accident-prone spots on National Highways through engineering measures.
- Road Safety Audits: Mandatory audits for all highway projects at design, construction, and operation stages.
- Brasilia Declaration: India was one amongst the initial 100+ countries to have signed the Brasilia Declaration in 2015 committing to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 3.6 i.e.to half the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes by 2030.
- Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, 2019: The act brought about higher penalties for traffic violations, including speeding, drunk driving, and not wearing helmets or seat belts.
Way Ahead
- Global best practices show that countries that adopted a Systems Approach have been able to achieve their targets of 50% reduction in fatalities or are close to achieving it.
- Countries like Australia and Sweden have gone beyond the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3.6 and dug deep into the issue. India can, therefore, learn from these global best practices.
- India has done substantial research on road safety through premiere institutions like Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) and Central Road Research Institute (CRRI).
- The government can collaborate with these institutes to improve policies and action plans.
- The corporate sector can play a role in helping strengthen road safety by funding research, spreading awareness.
Source: TH
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