Launch Of NDTV–United Spirits Road to Safety Campaign
A Diageo initiative launched the third season of the NDTV- United Spirits Road To Safety campaign. The panel included actor Karisma Kapoor, Abanti Sankaranarayanan – partner in this initiative, Suhel Seth, CEO of SaveLife Foundation Saji Cherian, Dr. Sanjay Oak, Dean, KEM college, Dr Shankar Vishwanathan and Shaina NC. The campaign urges citizens to Never drink and Drive and to celebrate responsibly by always having a designated driver.
insightful report, covered the most critical aspects ailing our roads today…
law enforcement is vital. Lane driving according to speed should me put in place as when you go on a highway you find trucks on the right lane trying to overtake a slow moving truck and cars juggling from right to left and finding a way between this mess, a major cause of accidents.
what rules the highways and roads in India is total anarchy. there is no respect for law. light , medium and heavy traffic moves anywhere and everywhere, any direction. there is absolutely no enforcement of law and rather there is no respect for law. tractors and trailers come out on the highways from nowhere , without any warnings or lights and some even are not registered. stray animals have a free movement. there is no sense of lane driving. all these factors in a way can be described as absolute lack of civic sense and anarchy on roads.
An effort to bring better driving, road culture, “Please No Horn” Indian roads
Introduction:-
“Please No Horn” campaign:-
“Noiseless Indian Roads”
“Awaz na bharathki raastha” (आवाजनाभारत)
“Sathamillatha Saalai” (சத்தமில்லாதசாலை)
The issue of nuisance on the Indian roads, the unnecessary horning everyone are aware about. Yes, the nuisance by doing it often & unnecessarily. We buy luxury cars, wants to live western life style, but we fail to follow the standards and basics of road ethics, ethics & rules followed by the developed nation citizens? Is it because we don’t have a law and rules?
Even if no law, Couldn’t we use our normal sense? Horn is an unrespect, give respect to other human being.
The need of the hour is to set right the behaviors on the Indian roads, a needed massive public campaign, educate everyone on the road , roads ethics, no horn policy to be adopted by citizens, we can do it even before the laws are enacted.
Problem:-
India is developing to the pace of developed nation status, a country with culture, but with lack of administrative efficiency and the system. We need to give some focused attention to match the superior administrative systems from around the world, grasp good system models from different countries, effective and efficient policies. Example the United Kingdom government policies and their laws related to the housing, public administration and community improvement.
Every Indian shouldn’t be surprised to know that, though the cars and motorbikes have horn in the developed nation like in the United Kingdom, nobody uses the horn ever, except in danger situations or may be once in year to test the horn!. Certainly, they never use that in the daily life ever. It is not just a theory or it is just in printed books, it is practiced by everyone, even in their sleep.
The only fact of difference between our Indian roads and the roads in United Kingdom is that, we are not using senses to understand the nuisance that honking levels created every second today, at least 100 times per vehicle.
The real problem, responsible & solution,
Yes, there are many justifications, like why “Horn Ok Please“, “Horn Please” and people do horn regularly to avoid from accidents.
The real problems are
– Pedestrians doesn’t have dedicated pedestrian walk.
– Pedestrians cross the roads wherever they think.
– Population is high.
– Vehicle going before, doesn’t give you a way.
– Vehicle going before, is very slow.
– Driver is having habit of horn for no reason.
– No automated pedestrian crossing signal.
– There are no lane markings.
– There are no lane following system.
– There is no attitude to give way to pedestrians by stopping a while.
– If we don’t horn, accident can happen?
– Because the car comes with a horn.
– Because different sound horn are available?
– Pedestrian signals don’t have vehicle population tracking and accordingly no automate. pedestrian crossing signal.
– Shortage of lanes in highways.
– Turning, blind curve roads.
Who is responsible?
– The citizen who uses the horn unnecessarily
– The driver who don’t respect others on the road
– Pedestrians crossing carelessly
– The Highways department
– City Corporation
– Traffic Police & Signal department
– Law department
– Road Transport Department
– Motor Vehicle department and driving rules.
– Driving schools not teaching about unnecessary horn
Solution
– Start reducing number of horning per day
– Create a culture while issuing licenses
– Teach students the necessity for horns & it is also a nuisance
– Place no horn boards on residential areas
– Vehicle sellers promoting as corporate social responsibility
– Media(News , Radio, TV) Promoting news and sponsoring
– Corporate placing free ad with no horn sign boards.
– You and me stop horning from today
– Amend the Highway department laws
– It is nothing to do with Pollution Control Board; it is a road behaviour of the vehicle.
It is psychological:
Arguments would say if no horn then accidents would increase, absolutely not. I think most accidents happen, because drivers using horn drive carelessly, they think they are the father of the road. It is proportionate, if everyone stops doing horn, the driving alertness will increase and there would be reciprocal signaling through hands and we can really see the Indian roads with not much horn pollution but human interactions.
Legal support:
The following information may give some in depth to the road nuisance that is well eliminated by the regulations of the UK Government and Highway Department Rules.
For example, the Government of UK, Driving & Transport Department has implemented a Highway code. The Highway Code, describes that Rules (103- 158) [1] about the “General rules, techniques and advice for all drivers and riders”. The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, Section 99. [2]
Conclusion :
I am sure, many ministers and educated Indian Citizens have visited the developed countries, even would have been blaming about, written articles or blogged about it. But this time, When Swachh Bharat is happening, we can also do “Please No Horn/ Awaz na Bharath/ Shanti Rastha” campaign. Yes, when British & Westerners can do, why cannot we Indians?
Stop horning today, change Indian roads, earlier than the law regulations & rules[3]. Let’s show we are better like a developed country and have developed good road experience in India.
As with everything else in India – No respect for rule of law. The application of law itself is nuanced.With the system favoring the “haves”, the country follows a simple policy of preference to those in power/the wealthy and those who have the influence to get away with it .We can actually call it the “hierarchy of haves “. A critical analysis of events in the recent past bears this out.Since India is a country where there is always a first among equals (beginning from the caste system of yore and now in modern times to ones proximity to power), is it any wonder that the application of the law is dependent on who you are .Therefore when rule of law itself is not respected what remains is the law of the jungle as epitomized by those who have the license to drive ,but lack the discipline or conditioning to do so responsibly.
I AM AN NRI COMING TO MUMBAI EVERY YEAR.TRAVELLING ON INDIAN HIGHWAYS PUTS FEAR IN ME. FIRSTLY , THE DRIVERS ARE NOT DECIPLINED IN DRIVING. SECONDLY, THERE IS NO ENFORCEMENT OF THE LAWS. THIRDLY THERE ARE NO POLICE PETROLS SEEN ON THE HIGHWAYS.
THERE ARE NO REGULAR HIGHWAY CAMERAS MOUNTED, LINKED TO MOTORWAY POLICE COMMAND CENTRE .
Bad driving habits of drivers, no lane sense- no indicators turned on while shifting lanes,taking turns.
Poor traffic rule enforcement.
Bad/poorly maintained roads,no indicators for the humps laid.
Vehicles aging more than 15 years with no pollution control ,in public transport.
Age old traffic laws.
Highly corrupt Regional Transport Offices/officers.
Drivers do not follow lane discipline,be it city traffic or highway traffic.They do not follow defensive driving procedures.Yes no liquor shops shall be permitted to operate on busy bazar areas and also on road facing areas.Cattle rearers sould not allowed to bring their catlle and drive them on roadways,even in busy city centres we sometimes see them unmindful of the dangers they poso to the community.Road curves on highways should be clear of any obstruction like buildings,walls,trees or bushes.
1.Purely lack of awareness of road rules.
2.Total indiscipline.
3.Lack Traffic Law enforcement.
Highways do not kill. Its the absence of driving discipline, no respect for law or fellow road users that cause death on the highways. The trucks, if drive in the left lane will realign the stream of cars and SUVs. But the trucks drive on the innermost lane, in slower speed, do not allow overtaking from the right, and that is the reason for most of the haphazard high speed traffic. Trucks even tend to occupy all the lanes, and one has to zig-zag through them, with obvious risks. Car and SUV drivers compound the problem by their obsession with speed, not allowing overtaking from the right, etc. Add to that the presence of tractors, trolleys who too occupy the right lane, and you have the substrate for the most hazardous driving on the planet. And, I have yet to see even one truck/tractor-trolley with functioning, visible tail lights. I would also mention our unique dislike to take a U turn, and instead drive on the wrong side, facing the traffic, just to take a “shorter” route. The highways need to modernize, but before that the driving habits have to change. And the highway police can make a change. But will they? Often they position themselves at one place, and watch the traffic pass by. Or they may just escort a VIP.
It is total disregard of the norms and rules which people break with impunity that leads to so many fatal accidents. The public need to be socially conscious and behave responsibly and co-operate with the Police. The Authorities are also to be more active and grab the offenders by the scruff of their necks, regardless of their status and political backings and the plliticians need to be honest and stop interfering with the Police Authorities.
Why not make this program in hindi so many people would know the problem and get educated. Programs like this in englsih has limited outreach.
It’s not the road, it’s lack of self respect. 99% don’t even know highway rules! Local traffic rules are least followed. When things go wrong, it’s easy to blame someone else. I am positive even the law enforcers have no clue about the traffic rules. Most of them are illiterate, they join as cleaners and transition to become license less drivers and thus become an undertakers of innocent lives.
I will blame the authorities who don’t enforce the rules. If you catch a violator, he will cite his authority and get away. I have personally seen people who I know very well have used high handedness in getting their way around be it at toll, or crossing at the red lights, overtaking from the wrong side.
They have to enforce the rules with high insurance rates, impounding of vehicles, suspension of licenses for life, if violations continue. The owners of the vehicles have to be charged with minimum jail sentence,so they know the consequences of traffic violations.
They must pass the traffic license rules exam with stringent conditions. Education must be imparted at young age, every adult must pass traffic exam conducted by computer aided system and should not have any human interaction. If they fail, they have to start all over again. Tests must be made annual feature. No exceptions, if you are behind a wheel, you must display a computer aided neon display for law enforcers on the road. If you fail to display, the car must be impounded on the spot and car towed to a pound where you can reclaim after paying a hefty penalty.
I am sure if the read this, you will understand, use of a road is a privilege not a right.
It is not only drink driving. While strict and impartial law enforcements will make a big difference, personal responsibility and courteous driving is very very important. Driving is a privilege and should not be misused.
Killer highways are the result of Indian culture of driving (this include alcohol,unqualified drivers, discipline and no value of human beings), wrong design of highways and the weather conditions. When stayed in Vadodara during 1997-98, I used to call Mumbai-Ahmadabad highway as The Killer Street.
1.people didn’t know how a good road with proper marking looks like.
2. when few good roads(NH) have come up with some extent of good marking, people don’t know road rules, people max they know, what is lane. they don’t know dotted line, dark line, double line, yellow line, double yellow line, blinking red signal, blinking orange single etc.even many traffic polic don’t know.
3.People don’t know the purpose of footpath and parking place so education on road is must
4. Due to lac of enforcement, road and footpaths are considered as my own place and I can do whatever I want. I can object construction of footpath if it hurts my business, I can sent up my business and I can extend my shop, I can tamper footpath, footpath is a trash bin, it is parking place, it is garden, it is hangout. I can cut road myself if water connection or power supply, UGD connection is required
5. Authorities when they construct footpath or build road, they oblige to the request of people, they never strict to rules. they not even ask water and sewage department lay out lines for the house that not constructed.
6. No enforcement of Parking place at residence and business area
There are many factors involved in it. As you said quality of roads, reckless driving, not adopting advanced technologies to control and monitoring the traffic, Not revising the traffic rules based on the new requirements, not implementing the traffic rules that are in place, and etc
But i believe the most importance thing is the driving attitude. We have not taken any positive measures to educate our drivers regarding the importance in following the traffic rules and respect the rights of others. Specially in the highways you can always find trailers and passengers buses riding in the high speed track and ignoring other small vehicles resulting in fatal accidents. Lack of pedestrian cross overs are another issue which results in loss of many lives. So in General we need urgent improvement in infrastructure and also immediate road safety orientations to all the drivers.
We need strict traffic enforcement that trucks shall be permitted on a dedicated lane. Two & Three wheelers shall not be permitted on Highways. Dedicated Pedestrian crossing facilities(Overhead) shall be provided and there shall not be any access for pedestrian to Highways for Jaywalking.
What ails our roads is ignorance of driving. In other words, sheer absence of driving skills in people. For example, you being a media organization, conduct a simple survey, ask just this one question to as many people as you like, “do you know right of way”. 99.9% of people in India will answer in the negative. Root cause of this problem is neglect of Indian languages. Publish and present driving skills in easy readable books, explain and host for free in news sites like these. Let social service volunteers go door to door and educate people on this just one thing ” RIGHT OF WAY “, then accidents in India will drop by 50%.
I live in the capital city of Madhya Pradesh and often travel to Indore on the express way which is beautifully built. It’s a matter of great surprise that even on such express ways’s people keep on coming on the wrong side where the speed limit is above 100 kmph. Sometimes there is not enough time left for the driver who is driving in the correct lane to apply breaks and avoid a tragic accident. I thinks it’s lack of awareness among people about traffic safety and secondly lack of commitment towards following the traffic rules.
I have seen a live accident involving 6 engg.students in Kollam district of KERALA in this new year! the NH 47 in KERALA is only a 6m wide dual line.The Alto Car was speeding and overtook a pickup and rammed to an incoming tanker killing all on spot. I would like to blame the condition of road as primary culprit as KERALA govt. failed to acquire land to widen the dual line NH47&NH 17 to a 4 lane road despite central govt. node and finance. They were forced to ride to the incoming tanker as there was no lane for overtaking. We are paying huge tax to the govt. and KERALA govt. apathy in land acquirement is killing 4000 on average in NH 47& NH17 of Kerala.
I have personally traveled over 50,000km on our highways and these are the faults I found:
1. A highway should NEVER go through a TOWN
This is the reason we make a bypass, so the highway avoids the town.
2. Our highways DO NOT have protective fencing along the length of the high way on both sides. This is basically to stop animals, pedestrians and unwanted traffic from entering the highway. ( The ORR in Hyderabad has such fencing)
3. The design of the highways is faulty.
By faulty I mean i. ‘U’ turns are provide on the highway
ii. Intersections are provided
iii. Emergency lanes are not provided
4. Slow vehicles and pedestrians are permitted, like tractors, cycles, Autos and even bullock carts.
THE SOLUTION.
1. Enclose all Highways with fencing (like that of ORR Hyderabad)
2. Block and ban ‘U’ turns, a turn around (‘U’ turn) on highway can only be done via slip roads.
3. Close off all junctions and provide slip roads to connect the towns and or rural areas Or build underpass/overpass for this purpose.
4. Ban all slow moving traffic and pedestrians from the Highway.
5. Ban liqueur shops along the lengths of the highway in the country.
6. Simple Law enforcement of “TAIL END” visibility (as most trucks, buses and other vehicles do not have working TAIL LIGHTS) (Not a single vehicle to be seen on the highway without tail lights) Most of the accidents on highways are due to this simple reason.
You are right in saying the percentage of accident fatalities for pedestrians in India is alarming. It can be curbed only when footpaths are freely available for pedestrians,which are neither available or if available,are not free of unauthorized occupation by the residents or shop keepers. Strict implementation of law against unauthorized blockage of footpaths only can relieve the pedestrians.
This is the scenario at many places. Even that includes expressways. For example if you notice IT Expressway at Chennai (OMR), even herds of cows toll around on the roads, cars ply opposite direction on service lanes and we – the pedestrians have no option since many vehicles including school buses do not follow the traffic light. Keep an eye on the traffic at IT Expressway End (neat SIPCOT IT Entrance Park), you will notice at around 8am, college buses simply skip the traffic light which makes pedestrians life very dangerous.
What I have mentioned is only one of few. This must be the scenario across the country. Very grim scenarios. Can’t think expressways are so vulnerable.
India’s road can never be safe for pedestrians, two wheelers and even for bikes ,cars ,trucks ..no one…
Attitude is very basic problem of ours population is second and so many .
…it is deep in Indian blood like hemoglobin to brake all possible rules/laws and what not.
Government’s vision, policies and strict rules if they have will can bring some hope with the highest penalties (Indian have fear of money than other else punishments),canning, jails etc. like Singapore did it 50 years back.
India needs to treat cyclists, handicapped and pedestrians with equal priority as motor vehicles.
Many cities in Europe, China have separate cycling lanes and pedestrian pathways. Special designs are provided to aid mobility for the handicapped. When we talk about inclusive development, these must be given due priority.
thats True, what i don’t understand here is how a road construction bill is passed without having proper criteria of footpaths and other facilities that is must on a road once it is build. Why there is no fine for the corporations who constructs the roads and it gets bad in just 2 to 3 months. there should be some rules defined and the tender should be given to only those companies who actually follow the defined rules of footpaths and at least a road should long for 5 years if there is any issue within the time limits that company should be charged.a lot of accidents happens in India due to the bad road condition and i am also one of the victim… i cant understand where our road tax goes as there is no proper development in this area.
The government can consider to implement a network of all-weather cycling and walking tracks for our cities and towns which will be funded by advertisement revenue. This will also ensure that more people use green modes of transport and ultimately reduce dependence on oil imports.
Wanted to bring to your attention some killer roads in NCR. Lot of long distance runners try to do long practice runs for their marathons, half marathons on Gurgaon Faridabad Road. While we follow all measures of precaution to run on the edge of the road, facing the traffic, with proper fluorescent vests if visibility is low, my experience is as follows on GFR:
Lots of bikes and cars zip away at 120-150 KM speed specially on weekends. And there are many cars which are very old, like zens, maruti 800, Santros which also try to zip at 100+. Can there be some strong speed checking and challaning drive to restrict this menace by Gurgaon Faridabad Police
the basic user group for road infrastructure needs to include “Pedestrians and cyclists”, currently it’s not in the designm implementation & approval of road/flyover/highway construction.
A regulatory change needs to be made & user groups from Pedestrians and cyclists should be part of advisory/consultation to the designing & approving authority.
The reason is as mainly due to these 2 points:-
1. Designing & Approving authority individuals don’t belong to Pedestrians and cyclists user group. Nor do these groups are unitied & vocal to demand the basic requirements.
2. Economic development model & financial gains which are linked to motor vehicles only, needs to be balanced with view on congestion, fuel cost, pollution impact, health issues due to non-activity, etc.
Pedestrians and cyclists need to get priority which is currently for Motor vehicles specially for inter-city infra.
Even if all else is done by all the stake-holders, UNLESS ROAD & FOOTPATH ENCROACHMENT IS
LEGALLY & STRICTLY- WITHOUT EXCEPTION, IS REMOVED, nothing shall be implementable.
The roads in Urapakkam,Iyyecherry Road, Chennai are really pathetic. the roads doesn’t have the footpaths. The worst part is that the roads are not viable for walking aslo. The roads need to be relaid.
has many instances like falling down, getting stumbled upon by stones that are protruding
I wonder why our people flout the traffic rules. All vehicles come with bright light in the nights even inside cities, which should be banned, as it glares and leads to many accidents due to poor vision
Stop corruption and you will reduce 50% of fatalities on the road. As soon as the fear sets in the common person about wrong act and its punishment we will see an automatic change in their behavior on road. Learn from other countries of the world.
I wish something was done to improve the terrible state of traffic in India. 1. A national traffic code should be created which could document all laws including speed limits, lane rules, traffic signs etc. This should be mandatory to pass before practical exam to get driving license 2. The latest gadgets like automatic speed cameras,automatic traffic signal enforcement cameras, automatic lane monitoring systems etc are required. for this entrire traffic enforcement should be outsourced to private companies- this would help better enforcement and government would also get revenue via fines and penalties. 3. Something should also be done to create proper pedestrian crossings at the signals and other roads- currently it is very risky for pedestrians to cross roads.
The government should act swiftly and introduce better law to prevent drunken driving, over speeding and red light jumping. I feel, all the government has to do is look at what laws developed nations use to stop these menaces and introduce those laws here as well. Wondering how long will it take for the government to act.
Trying to please everyone is the bane. A cut in the divider on a turn on the National highway helps a hotel across the road to get customers, a bullock cart can come in the opposite direction (read poor farmer), cyclists and bikes can weave around on the road(not as fortunate as folks with cars), jay walking pedestrians can’t be touched as they are simple folks going about their lives. Building popular deterrents like speed breakers and then attributing lesser accidents to their presence is slowing down traffic movement instead of really stopping people from using the road like a part of his property.
Lets face it. Roads are meant for transport. It makes no sense to argue that a poor farmer can go in the opposite direction or children can use it to play cricket and speed breakers will prevent these folks from getting killed. Well maintained roads, clean and clear footpaths, strictly enforced traffic signals and designated turn off points can do away with a lot of nonsense and innocent lives being lost. Lets start with these and then see whether things improve.
Indian Govt ? Court must ban the political poster hoardings as well as other commercial advertisements on the Highways as road signs are covered with these posters and drivers are distracted by the over pollution of these hoardings.
Great.
Dr.A.Jagadeesh Nellore(AP),India
Good service to help the society and hope she is also finding solace by doing this. Wish good health:)
we have seen her performing since years.People crossing the juncture have deep regards for her. Her commend is accepted by us. I salute her dedication.
We need more vigilant and responsible citizen like her. Salute!
The road planning must be left to professionals and the state machinery should cooperate with professionals in planning road designs. There are never clear instructions for road users and there is never any for pedestrians. the footpaths are so high form the road level and not continuous that everyone especially the elderly prefer to walk on the road. There are no marked cycling tracks. Its all very confusing. Suppose our house was like that I think everyone would go mad within the house.
Dear Authorities,
She is doing the wonderful job though its illegal to do so as a civilian not working in traffic department. Please why not Govt Train her and take into traffic dept payroll.
1. Truck drivers dont follow traffic rules and always drive on the right most lane in highway.
2. In broad day-light vehicles ride on wrong side of the road to reach destination quickly because if they follow proper side, the U turn will be after say 2 KMs and so they switch on head light in day time and drive on wrong side. This happens even in city’s high traffic roads too.
3. cab drivers dont have patience and so honk continously.
4. Office goers take official conference calls while driving, having break fast while driving to save time.
5. two-wheeler can turn and hit anyone’s bumper or back side of all vehicles. their main aim of buying 2 wheeler is to reach fast to destination or to heaven/hell.
6. tractors are not allowed as per rule in city roads. but they are plying in plenty to supply water, carry debris or garbage.
7. traffic jam is created whenever a VIP wants to visit IT park or village or some marriage function.
Oh GOD, when will India become safe.
1. Truck drivers dont follow traffic rules and always drive on the right most lane in highway.
2. In broad day-light vehicles ride on wrong side of the road to reach destination quickly because if they follow proper side, the U turn will be after say 2 KMs and so they switch on head light in day time and drive on wrong side. This happens even in city’s high traffic roads too.
3. cab drivers dont have patience and so honk continously.
4. Office goers take official conference calls while driving, having break fast while driving to save time.
5. two-wheeler can turn and hit anyone’s bumper or back side of all vehicles. their main aim of buying 2 wheeler is to reach fast to destination or to heaven/hell.
6. tractors are not allowed as per rule in city roads. but they are plying in plenty to supply water, carry debris or garbage.
7. traffic jam is created whenever a VIP wants to visit IT park or village or some marriage function.
Law enforcement, RTO and traffic police are inefficient or corrupt.
Oh GOD, when will India become safe.
1. Truck drivers dont follow traffic rules and always drive on the right most lane in highway.
2. In broad day-light vehicles ride on wrong side of the road to reach destination quickly because if they follow proper side, the U turn will be after say 2 KMs and so they switch on head light in day time and drive on wrong side. This happens even in city’s high traffic roads too.
3. cab drivers dont have patience and so honk continously.
4. Office goers take official conference calls while driving, having break fast while driving to save time.
5. two-wheeler can turn and hit anyone’s bumper or back side of all vehicles. their main aim of buying 2 wheeler is to reach fast to destination or to heaven/hell.
6. tractors are not allowed as per rule in city roads. but they are plying in plenty to supply water, carry debris or garbage.
7. traffic jam is created whenever a VIP wants to visit IT park or village or some marriage function.
Most of the accidents happen due to rash driving, racing by VIPs, trucks, 2 wheelers or public transports’ inefficient buses. We have seen so many accidents where public transport bus hitting directly another vehicle in at least tamil nadu.
Oh GOD, when will India become safe.
In most cases, the real cause of accident is human error. Indian drivers (can all of them be called drivers ??) lack discipline and always look to bypass some traffic rule. With this kind of attitudes, whatever measures does the authority take, implementation becomes difficult. In text books of traffic engineering, it is taught that accident can be reduced using 3 E’s..Engineering, Enforcement and Education. Generally, Engineering aspects are no problem, because we follow good standards and clients are matured enough now in India to include road safety aspects into designs and construction practices. Enforcement is a problem, because there is always dearth of manpower in traffic police and agencies involved in road safety. Lastly (in no ways, the least) Education is the most important aspect which is the main cause for accidents in India. Education here means, awareness of rules and regulations related to road safety. It is observed in many cases that even the educated violate simple traffic rules with “Chalta hai” attitude.
My input is simply do not drink alcohol because it is bad for you.
also over speed main reason of accident
As long as people get licenses easily, as long as vehicles are not checked properly, as long as citizens do not follow rules properly, as long as cops takes it easy on traffic violations, as long as roads are not built properly, as long as roads are shabby it is difficult to give safety to citizens.
If we are able to quantify the under-reported crashes and fatalities, the contribution of India will be anywhere between 15-20% of the global burden of road traffic injuries. It is easy to put all the blame on the driver/s for the crashes, but is there anyone discussing the responsibility of the State in ensuring the safety of its citizens? Based on the reviews and follow-ups by the Hon’ble Supreme Court Committee on road safety; the State governments are now under tremendous pressure to show some results. As a result, the different departments, such as; police, transport, and PWD, are taking up a number of road safety/crash prevention initiatives. However, road safety being a multi-sector responsibility, any initiatives taken in isolation will be less productive. There should be a multi-sector lead agency like the one in Kerala, known as ’Kerala Road Safety Authority’ (KRSA) to coordinate between different stakeholder departments and spearhead the road safety activities in the entire State. KRSA was established in 2008. Today, it has grown into a strong, legally established institution having its own dedicated fund, and a team of experts who coordinate with different stakeholder departments and provide necessary technical support for planning and execution of various road safety agendas of the State. Most Indian States do not have such a road safety lead agency to manage and coordinate between the different stakeholders.
we need to focus on one of the most important aspects of poor traffic in India and that is Indian Roads lack Road Lanes Paint. You will see not more than 20 % of Mumbai roads are marked with road lane paints. and even those marked are marked wrongly. if we focus on making compulsory painting the indian roads ( like in western countries ) almost 90 % of the problems will be solved automatically. Drivers cannot follow how to turn and where to turn coz of lack of road paints. Only Sea Link is correctly marked and rest of Mumbai city is in a complete mess.
Honking problem is mainly attributed to U turns. we have frequent U turns in mumbai and that too in the first lane. if we drive fast in the first lane, we have to stop and divert to the next lane due to U turn . so the incoming car that i block while changing my lane is forced to honk. maximum honking takes place at signals
Only one rule can make huge change. Road accidents are fatal during head-on collision. This happens most places due to over-taking vehicles. Bringing the rule of driving within Yellow line and prohibiting over-take will reduce at least 50% of accidents. But making this happen is a huge task in India roads and require lot of infrastructural needs. Will the Govt think about this?