MAKING INDIAN ROADS SAFER...

During the latter half of my 4- yrs stay in Dehradun I saw the traffic administration getting more and more stringent day by day. As I watched traffic policemen into action, I realised that traffic control reflects the law and order state of a city. When people break traffic rules and escape law, it reflects the lawlessness of the city. For a tourist or a visitor to a city, this comes handy in lending the first impression of a city. Similarly the administration on major roads and highways reflects the law and order state and governance of a country.
A few eye-openers: In all the road accidents across our country, 12 lakh people are seriously injured and about 3 lakh are permanently disabled. With 290 people on an average dying in road accidents in India everyday it is worth deliberating how to stall the progress of our roads and highways towards a graveyard and make them means of safer travel.
Usually in most cases of road accidents, victims are declared “brought dead” when they reach a hospital. In these cases, victims had to depend on the mercy of strangers to pick them from the accident-spot on time. A few crucial minutes saved could have well served the purpose. This calls for more number of patrol cars, emergency vehicles and motorcycle-borne policemen on the highway to keep an eye on speeding vehicles, rash driving, signs of drunkenness behind the wheels and to rescue accident victims.
A number of audits for highways have also recommended fencing to keep animals off the street and warning signs in accident -prone areas. Cameras should be installed in tunnels to check if any vehicle is not stranded within. Regular road safety audits should be made mandatory. It would also check factors that contribute to high accident rates- poor lighting, lack of signage and cattle or stray animals on the street. All of us are well aware that most of our highways are generally not illuminated. This is not a good sign.
Most cases of drunken-driving and intoxication behind the wheels are seen during the night. In fact, establishments those run high on business during the night hours are the nightclubs. It is at these nightclubs that youngsters get sloshed. And then we have the famous episodes of BMW verdicts! In France every such establishment like clubs and cafes that serve alcohol is legally bound to conduct breathalyser test on patrons as they leave. India should also institute such rules in cities where the management refuses to hand over the keys to customers who test positive.
Hefty fines for speeding could also go a long way in sloping down the accident rates. In Mumbai, for instance, the maximum fine one pays over speeding is a mere Rs. 200. In Singapore they charge an equivalent of Rs. 20,000 and in France it is in parity with Rs. 3.06 lakh. Whereas developed countries charge fines to the tune of one’s monthly income, in India it ends up to around half of one’s daily income.
With over 1 lakh people dying of road accidents in India every year- that’s 10 percent of road accident fatalities worldwide-it’s time we goad into action!