Safety first

India is one of the most dangerous places to drive 10 per cent of the worlds road accidents happen right here. Our streets present a challenge all their own,where streams of speeding cars contend with bullying trucks,scooters and motorbikes list and weave dangerously,people think its sissy not to jaywalk,and cows can serenely amble out into the roads. The pile-ups and accidents cost us and are disproportionately unfair on the poor cyclists and pedestrians are clearly the most vulnerable.

The UN General Assembly has announced that this decade would be dedicated to action on road safety,given the frightening projection of 1.9 million fatalities by 2020. India must get its act together,urgently. And now,recommending a complete and exhaustive road safety policy,a parliamentary standing committee has suggested scrapping the bill currently under consideration that only covers national highways. The recommendation of a National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board has also been swatted down the parliamentary panel thought it too wishy-washy,given that it will only have advisory powers and cannot coordinate among various components,which makes further legislation inevitable. Whether our roads are ready or not,Indias crush of cars is only going to intensify. And while its unfair to deny anyone the comfort and mobility of their own set of wheels,we have to counter the hazards with public safety interventions. The gains from regulation on random breath tests,mandatory seat-belt wearing,better speed-management strategies,etc have also exhausted themselves as more vehicles pile on the roads. But tiny tweaks in transport management can produce enormous drops in fatalities. For instance,clear signs and road delineations,and accessible thoroughways overbridges and underpasses dramatically increase safety.

A concerted road safety plan must include public awareness campaigns,to drill home the risks of bad behaviour,a strict enforcement regime and a consistent penalty system. Vehicle design and road infrastructure elements should also be a vital part of the plan. We cannot afford to be lax about our roads any longer.