Speed Governors Mandatory In Commercial Vehicles From January 31: Government
Speed governors (devices which set limits below the maximum possible vehicular speed) have been made mandatory in commercial vehicles
Raipur: In a major push for better road safety in the country, from January 31, all new transport vehicles such as trucks, buses, and mini buses in India will need to install Speed Governors to limit their speed.
Commercial vehicles that travel at high speeds on the highway are a major factor in road accidents and deaths. Over 62% of road accident deaths in India can be attributed to over-speeding. The government had announced its intention to bring down road accidents in the country by half, soon after coming to power in 2014.
Read More: Install Speed Governors In Vehicles: SC Warns Transport Secretaries In 10 States
UN Decade of Action for Road Safety As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), road traffic injuries are a leading cause of death among young people between the age of 15 and 29 years globally. Taking into consideration the increasing road accident rates, the UN put forth a 10-Year Action Plan, as an initiative to help countries bring down the number of road accidents.
Also Read: Dangerous Roads: How India Compares To The World
Road Safety in India
Every 4 minutes, a person is killed on the Indian roads. The increasing road accidents not only take away valuable lives but also inflict a huge economic loss to the country. The Transport and Highway Minister, Nitin Gadkari, believes the economic loss from these accidents is nearly Rs. 4 lakh crore each year, close to 3% of the GDP. Safer roads and lesser accidents will make a good impact for both people and economy.
Also Read: Over 1.3 Million Road Accident Deaths In A Decade: India’s Killer Roads
Despite the Government’s will, there was severe opposition to the implementation of road safety measures that would give tangible results. “Ever since I have taken charge of the sector, the biggest regret that keeps haunting me is that despite best of our best intentions, Road Safety Bill is stuck. I feel pained and helpless to see 1.5 lakh Indians, mostly youth, dying on roads,” Union Transport Minister, Nitin Gadkari said in early 2016.
Read More: We Need To Come Together To Reduce Road Accident Deaths: Nitin Gadkari At WEF
