Road safety councils a must, says Foundation

PUNE, Jan 6: The Kum Rajshree Parmar Memorial Foundation, working for road safety and awareness has made wide ranging suggestions, coveri...

PUNE, Jan 6: The Kum Rajshree Parmar Memorial Foundation, working for road safety and awareness has made wide ranging suggestions, covering the general safety aspect of vehicle owners and road users, to the central committee on subordinate legislations for incorporating them in the Motor Vehicles Act (MV Act). The foundation has urged that formation of road safety council on the lines of the national road safety council be made mandatory for all states.

Managing trustee of the foundation, Chandmal Parmar said that the existing rules of the Motor Vehicles Act were grossly inadequate as far as the safety of road users was concerned. The suggestions had been invited by the committee in November.

Parmar said that section 215 of the MV Act has a provision for instituting road safety councils in each state and district. However no state had created the road safety council so far. The foundation suggested that necessary amendments be made in the MV Act to make it mandatory for every state to create the council within a period of six months. Every district having more than five lakh vehicles should also have the road safety council, the foundation added.

Every state should also be directed to create a separate highway police force within a period of one year and specify their powers and responsibilities. The existing MV Act does not have any provisions regarding the highway police although they have been doing a commendable job in reducing mishaps and giving speedy aid to the accident victims, Parmar said.

Although there is a provision for two drivers for inter-state transportation vehicles, there was no provision for providing two drivers for vehicles carrying hazardous chemicals and products and lengthy containers. These vehicles contributed heavily to road accidents, the foundation said, urging for an amendment in the MV Act to make it mandatory to have two drivers in vehicles carrying hazardous goods. Movement of such vehicles should be stopped completely between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. The vehicles should have proper markings in retroreflective paint so that the vehicles are visible from a distance of 200 meters. Movement of the vehicles not having the danger marks should be halted from 7 p.m. to 6.30 a.m.

The foundation recommended that the state governments should undertake a plan for investigating accidents and also providing way-side amenities. On expressways that are being built, the government should frame regulations for drivers so as to minimise mishaps. Road specifications as framed by the Indian Road Congress should be incorporated in the MV Act, the foundation urged.

While making the demand for converting state border check-posts as tax collection centres, the foundation said that the check-posts hardly carried out their specified duties such as checking the roadworthiness of the vehicles, mechanical fitness, and overloading. The foundation instead urged for creating a vehicle checking campus on each highway within the jurisdiction of every regional transport office. The checking campus must be away from the city, with ample space for parking of vehicles, and experienced staff and necessary machinery to check the road worthiness of the vehicles and all safety related aspects such as tail lamp, and reflectors. Amendments in the MV Act were necessary so that the responsibilities of the regional transport office are defined, the foundation said.

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Some of the other suggestions include provision of footpaths for pedestrians on the right side of the highways and the district roads, strictly curbing the haphazard parking of vehicles on the highways as it blocks the carriage width of the road, making it compulsory for truck drivers to carry traffic safety cones to be put up on the road during the mechanical breakdown of the vehicle, tractor trollies should have tail lamps and reflectors, and proper road traffic sign boards on the highways and state roads so that they are visible to the drivers moving at a speed of 60 to 90 kmph.

The foundation also suggested amendments in the MV Act so that licences of the drivers could be suspended immediately in the event of an accident. Without waiting for the legal process to get completed, the licences of drivers of private vehicles should be suspended for two months and that of public vehicle for three months immediately after a fatal mishap. The licences of drivers of vehicles transporting hazardous goods should be suspended for six months in the event of fatal mishaps. If the driver is involved in any mishap during the period, the licence should be cancelled.

Regarding minimum qualifications of truck drivers, the foundation suggested that persons having five years experience in driving alone should be allowed to drive heavy vehicles on highways. For drivers on vehicles carrying hazardous goods, they should have an experience of ten years. Renewal of licences should be done after proper medical examination of the driver.