National Education Policy 2020

 ROAD SAFETY

In 1891 , over 2 centuries ago, John Lambert, the driver, and James Swoveland, the passenger, were involved in the world’s first car accident in Ohio City. Lambart lost control of the car after colliding with a tree root and a hitching post. Because the car lacked the ability to speed, there were no serious injuries. Since then our society has leaped through technological and infrastructural advancement like never
before. Which has led to a rapid boom in the transportation and travel aspect of life. Covering distances that was unfathomable before is now a matter of fact for most people with the ease of finding public transport and the ease of owning a motor vehicle being at its highest. But this spike has not been matched with infrastructural improvement everywhere and the load on the road continues to increase due to increasing population and booming trade, and with this ease sadly has also come a rapid increase in the accidents and mishaps occurring on the road,and with this has come the need for elaborate and efficient systems, rules, guidelines, and penalization for wrongdoing.
Motor vehicle accident statistics are staggering. According to the World Health Organization (WHO):

Every year, more than 1200000 people die each year, and up to 50 million are injured due to road traffic crashes. Approximately 90 percent of traffic-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries
Road traffic crashes are the number one cause of death for people between the age of 15 and 29. Almost half of all deaths on the world’s roads are motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians. About 450,000 accidents take place in India annually, of which 150,000 people do not make it . “India has the highest number of casualties in road accidents,” “There are 53 road accidents in the country every hour and one death every four minutes.” – according to traffic reports.
In the city of Pune itself , A total of 255 people were killed on city roads in 2021. In 2019, the number of fatalities was 206. However, 2019 saw 791 accidents which went down to 482 in 2020, which was the pandemic year, and then again increased in 2021, wherein 741 road accidents were reported. As it can be seen many lives are lost every year in all parts of the world.
Recognizing road accidents as a leading cause of death in the country, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India has called for a joint effort of the state and central government to facilitate the improvement of road and safety infrastructure and to reduce casualties and mortality.
While the situation might appear grim, people need to come together as changemakers, now more than ever before. We must all strive to do our part to ensure that we receive what we deserve – safer roads and safer communities, once and for all.

In order to make the roads as safe and accessible as possible certain guidelines, road rules, safety rules and general principles of road safety are integrated into the system. To produce positive road safety outcomes, strong management in all aspects of road safety is key.
Presence of a funded lead agency to guide the national road safety effort and implement a Safe Systems approach is recommended. India has a lead agency present, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, which is funded in the
national budget, and has a road safety strategy which is partially funded. The functions of the agency include coordination, legislation and monitoring and evaluation of road safety strategies. The country only has a fatal road safety target, to reduce fatalities by 50% with a timeline of 2011 – 2020.
The number one way to reduce this tragic statistic is to be mindful while driving and adhering to all traffic rules and regulations.
A few steps to make the roads safer –
• Introduce a more effective and efficient licensing procedure and vigorously pursue the creation
of a national roster for all driving license holders.
• Introduce or revise speed limits after scientific assessment of stream speeds in different areas
and install proper signs.
• Strengthen the enforcement of speed limits through technology like speed cameras.
• Ensure effective enforcement to check the violation of basic safety requirements
• Strengthening of infrastructure
• Emergency first aid and medical services on highways
• Better drainage systems on the roads.
• Also, as per the Motor Vehicle Act, helmets and seat belts are mandatory, but the rule is not
implemented strictly. What we do have are motorists driving on the wrong side of the road,
going down the wrong way on one-way streets, riding with helmets on their bike’s handlebars,
speaking on the phone while driving… the list is endless. The poor condition of our roads doesn’t
help either.
While there is a lot of scope for improvement from the side of the government and regulatory bodies in this matter but does the burden of responsibility lie only on them? The system does have flaws, but it’s time citizens look at the role they play. It’s easy to blame the authorities but how many of us actually follow the rules diligently? Most people are guilty of taking a short cut down a one-way stretch. Or zipping past a red light to save two minutes. All it takes is one motorist, and several others follow him — with no regard for safety, oncoming vehicles or pedestrians.
What we can and must do is follow rules and encourage fellow road users to so as well. Drive slow, grant pedestrians the right of way, follow road rules and traffic signals.