Aiming at a safer India

Amendments are underway in the Central Motor Vehicles Act to enforce stricter penalties for road accidents. They couldn't have come sooner.

A volley of amendments in the Central Motor Vehicles Act are in the offing to make it more stringent for defaulters to escape the dragnet of the law. Working to make it a reality soon is the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), according to C Kandasamy, director general and special secretary, MoRTH. The amendments will stipulate stricter penalties for motorists in a bid to prevent accidents.

Also on the radar is popularisation of the concept of a smart vehicle and auto pilot with some sophisticated gadgets that enable a driver to relax in his seat while the vehicle is driven to its destination. The futuristic smart vehicle will enable the driver to punch in his destination, engage driver alert and have the collision avoidance system open the airbag in case of a collision. Auto pilot in turn will operate like a smart car but will have to be supported by smart infrastructure with roads built to a minimum of three-star rating with broad lanes as in Europe to facilitate easy drivability, Kandasamy told Autocar Professional on the sidelines of the 7th International Road Federation Regional Conference on ‘Road Safety in Urban and Rural Roads’ held in New Delhi on November 1-2.

While in the first phase, the ministry is envisaging simple intelligent transport systems (ITS), phase II will involve developing of the smart vehicle and smart infrastructure. The IRF Vienna Manifesto on ITS has also spoken about incorporating ITS in the existing Transport Policy while enhancing its partnerships and collaborations.

ITS technologies range from satellite-based positioning to road weather information systems and real-time traveller information services. With developments in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure interaction, these would benefit road users and boost safe and timely travel. Pilot projects are on the anvil and these are being envisaged through the Indian Roads Congress and the Road Transport Ministry.

Identifying accident-prone spots in India

As a further initiative to prevent accidents, MoRTH has kicked off a move to fix the flaws in 25 most accident-prone black spots on highways across India. This is part of a detailed plan to reduce India’s morbid record of losing a life on road every four minutes and accounting for the most road fatalities in the world. “These black spots, which are accident sites, are where accidents occur again and again and are spread across 13 major states, accounting for 90 percent of road accidents in India. Among the 13 states that experience the maximum road fatalities are Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh,” says A K Upadhyay, Road Transport and Highways Secretary.

The highways ministry has asked the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and state authorities to initiate work to fix structural flaws in roads in the five worst black spots by March 2013 and complete work on 20 other black spots by December 2012 as part of a four-pronged strategy to reduce road fatalities.

Tamil Nadu maintains an electronic road traffic accident database and the highways ministry is pushing other states to follow suit. The ministry allocates 10 percent of its budgetary outlays for road safety, which would now be deployed to improve accident-prone roads.

In terms of economic losses, India loses more than Rs 1 lakh crore a year due to road accidents. While 134,000 people died in road accidents in 2010, 2011 saw over 142,000 fatalities, and five million injured. This whenthe world over road fatalities are on a constant decline. Till a few years ago, India was behind China in road fatalities. But now, with nearly 12 crore vehicles on the road, it is far ahead on this grim parameter.

V L Patnakar, additional director general, MoRTH, says that in 80 percent of the accidents, the driver is blamed but few know that poor engineering and designing of roads are equally responsible for road accidents.

Further, the Ministry of Urban Development in an effort to reduce traffic congestion and fatal accidents in the urban areas is also setting up a National Road Safety Board on the lines of the Railway Safety Board. This will help in reviewing the urban road plans and set standards for road engineering, audit and road safety.

SHOBHA MATHUR

Photography: Subhash Simhudu