In this fifth installment of our road safety series, we look at the recent strike by truckers in India, which was triggered by a new law that imposes harsh penalties for hit-and-run cases.
This has resurfaced the complex and multifaceted nature of the road safety problem in India.India has the dubious distinction of being the country with the highest number of road accidents and fatalities in the world.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 150,000 people die every year on India's roads, accounting for about 11% of the global road deaths. The economic cost of these accidents is estimated to be around 3% of the country's GDP.
Truckers' strike in India at the onset of the new year. Source- unknown
This grim reality demands more than just reactive measures; it calls for a holistic and long-term solution. The new law code, called Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, changes the previous hit-and-run law and imposes a 10-year jail term and a fine for anyone who flees the scene of a fatal accident without reporting it to the authorities.
The truckers' union, All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC), argued that the law was unfair and would discourage new drivers from joining the industry, while the government claimed that the law was necessary to deter people from fleeing the scene of accidents and ensure justice for the victims.
Quality Control and Accountability Measures
Lack of Quality Control and Accountability across the road saftey value chain like driving schools, licensing processes, road construction, and law enforcement is a major factor in road saftey.
There is no silver bullet that can solve this problem overnight, but rather a need for a coordinated and comprehensive approach that involves multiple stakeholders and addresses multiple dimensions of the issue. The four structural issues given below all derive their deficiencies from the lack of standards and control.
Infrastructure
One of the major causes of road accidents in India is the underserved or poor quality infrastructure. lack of adequate facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, such as footpaths, cycle lanes, crossings, and underpasses, exposing them to greater risk of accidents.
Education
Lack of awareness and knowledge among road users, especially drivers, about the rules and regulations, as well as the skills and etiquette, of safe driving.
Behaviour
Yet another major cause of road accidents in India is the attitude and culture of road users, especially drivers, towards road safety.
Many drivers in India do not value or prioritize road safety, and often consider it as a matter of luck or fate, rather than responsibility or choice. We have touched on this cultural aspect in our next article.
Technology
A final major cause of road accidents in India is the lack of innovation and adoption of technology for road safety. Technology use is becoming imperative to make processes transparent in road construction, vehicle manufacturing, driver training and law enforcement.
Quality Check of Road Safety Value Chain
As we delve into the challenges plaguing road safety, a comprehensive review of road safety value chain such as driving training schools, licensing processes, road design, driving habits, road construction, and law enforcement is imperative. We will individually cover them in separate blog posts.
The below points deals with challenging the status quo, fixing accountability and affects the livehood of people involved in system. Hence, implementing changes requires great political will.
1. Driving training schools:
The lack of standardized curricula and quality control mechanisms has been a persistent issue in driving training schools.
A nationwide standardization initiative, incorporating certified instructors and regular inspections, is not only desirable but necessary.
There is need for better training facilities and programs for drivers, especially commercial and heavy vehicle drivers, and make them mandatory and periodic.
Quality control of this sector under PPP model need to be explored.
2. Licensing process:
The licensing process, often marred by corruption and inconsistent standards, requires a relook too.Rigorous testing procedures, transparency through technology, and stringent consequences for corruption are prerequisites for an effective system.
There is need to tighten the driving licensing process, and make it more rigorous and transparent, with proper verification and testing of the applicants' identity, vision, knowledge, and skills. d
3. Road design:
Road design, a linchpin in safety, demands not just adherence to international standards but regular audits and strict consequences for poor planning. A pragmatic evaluation of driving habits, often resistant to change, mandates robust public awareness campaigns with tangible outcomes.
There is a need to strengthen frameworks which fixes accountability for poor design and construction over a rational period of time. In its absence, people are suffering and lives are being lost.
Independent and regular audits of quality standards for road design, construction, and maintenance, based on best practices and scientific evidence has to be incorporated.
4. Road construction:
There is lot of information which exists on this and how roads are infested with portholes, uneven, poor patch work or construction itself being subpar.
What is needed is fixing accountability and enforcement of related penalty without exception.
5. Technology for Continuous Audits:
The integration of technology in road safety initiatives offers a transformative approach towards addressing two critical facets—road quality and driving habits.
Authorities should leverage state-of-the-art technologies to conduct continuous audits of road conditions and driving behavior.
Monitoring of road surfaces, identifying issues such as potholes, uneven terrain, or inadequate signage and driving habits.
These technologies provide a comprehensive and data-driven understanding of road conditions, facilitating a proactive rather than reactive approach to maintenance.
6. Ensuring Accountability for Poor Road Construction:
Accountability for subpar road construction, encompassing both design and material quality, is pivotal in enhancing road safety. The government should institute stringent measures to hold contractors and agencies accountable for deviations from approved designs and the use of substandard materials.
This is a great challenge for India where as a developing nation concerned institutions across the road safety value chain are far away from maturity.
7. Law enforcement:
This is issue is also widely known and discussed.
Enforcement of traffic rules and regulations has to be proactive then reactive. The policing system in India needs training, technology and process improvement to efficiently deal with these problems.
The government should also provide more incentives and rewards for safe and responsible driving, such as discounts, vouchers, or recognition, and encourage the participation and involvement of the private sector and the civil society in this regard.
Practical Measures Tailored for India
This isn't a call for impractical idealism but a blueprint for pragmatic change deeply rooted in the Indian context. It involves a steady progression towards better quality control, capacity building, and process maturity. We will dive into each of the issues in more details in separate posts.
Building trust in institutions requires consistency and transparency in policies and enforcement. Establishing Consequences, Quality Control and Accountability in driving schools, licensing processes, road construction, and law enforcement are pivotal steps in this direction.
India's road safety crisis demands tangible measures. By setting achievable goals, building capacities, and transforming the system gradually, we can navigate challenges and pave the way for safer roads.
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