GAPS IN THE MAINTENANCE OF ROAD SAFETY By Xenia Khan

People killed by road accidents in India, make up to 11% of accidents related to death across the world, according to the WHO Global Report on Road Safety 2018. India lands itself at 1^st rank in the number of road accident deaths across the countries reported in World Road Statistics, followed by China and the United States. 

Accidents caused by mistakes of drivers such as over speeding, drunk driving, and getting distracted while driving, are the one of the main cause of road accidents in India. According to the report of the National Crime Record Bureau, in 2018, 55.2% of road accidents were caused by over-speeding, and 27.3% because of careless or rash driving

Though the quality of roads has improved over the past year, but the quality of road infrastructure still has a significant amount of contribution when it comes to fatalities caused by road accidents. Even on an empty road, people still cannot afford to take their eyes off the road while driving, even if it is for a second.

Bad road conditions can arise out of natural conditions, like heavy rain, or can be the reason of an awful job done by the workers while building it up. Or can also arise out of not being maintained regularly. Bumpy roads, potholes, or cracks can lead a driver to lose their balance and risk the lives of other drivers, as well as theirs. While driving at night, Street light plays an important role in assuring the safety of a driver; without a properly working street light, driving can lead to a mishap. Road features such as sharp curves, potholes, and steep grades tend to be more accident-prone because it is not easy for a person to negotiate such road features without extra skill, care, and alertness.

Reasons other than the bad road infrastructure that leads to a road accident in India are: violation of traffic rules, not using safety devices (seatbelts or helmets), and possession of an invalid driving license. Overloaded vehicles or trucks are a major reason for accidents in India; it is not an easy job to control an overloaded vehicle, and for other fellow drivers following or driving behind the vehicle, it becomes too difficult to look over it and be alert for the ones coming towards them.

Having strict traffic laws in a country, and enforcing them are two completely different aspects. India certainly has very strict traffic laws imposed as compared to other countries, but implementing and regulating them in the daily life is a tough job in a country like India where corruption exists at every step.

26% out of all the road accidents that took place in 2018 were caused by drivers without valid licenses or drivers with a learner's license, according to a report submitted by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MORTH). Acquiring a driving license is a job way too easy, many people don’t even go through the mandatory driving test or a lesson; they get their license delivered at home. Having the basic driving skills should be a concern higher than it is right now.

Developing 4-lanes or 6-lanes expressways and roads is no doubt a worthy upgrade to highways, these highways are definitely good for cars, buses, and big vehicles, but sadly, the same cannot be said about the slow-moving vehicles such as two-wheelers, animal cart drivers or cyclists. It is necessary to take care of the needs of not just four-wheelers but also the others who need to use the roads. 

So the real question is, will the betterment of road infrastructure help reduce the road traffic accidents in our country? Or will it take more than just a good road infrastructure to reduce road accidents in India?

Blaming government solely for all the road accidents is not exactly right, as it takes two hands to clap and thus, if the government is making a law it is the duty of the public to follow and abide by it, and if they find any flaw then raise their voice against it. There are many ways to control accidents; putting speed detectors in use, in all the states of India, in some states the speed detection devices are already in use, and the device measures the speed accurately and the driver traced with speed more than advised is booked with a fine depending on the type of vehicle he or she was driving.

Giving and taking of bribes is one of the reasons for the slow growth rate of a country. If people pay the fines or challans, instead of giving bribes, and also if the officials refuse to take the bribery, things might get better. With the introduction of E-challan, corruption has reduced a bit, but still prevails.

With a population of more than 1 billion, it is difficult to take control of all the fatalities with an understaffed police force, the biggest hope again lies on the public, by following the rules and avoid giving bribes, and using all the safety measures/devices.