SEMINAR ON

ROAD SAFETY IN INDIA

Presented by
SHAIKH SALIM RAEES
T.Y.CIVIL.

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 ARE INDIAN ROADS
DIFFERENT?
• • Traffic conditions vary.
• • Heterogeneous traffic in India – ranging
• from pedestrians to animal – drawn carts,
• non-motorized traffic, two-wheelers, cars,
• buses and trucks.
• • Different traffic sharing the same road
• space while roads and vehicles get more
• modern.
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 GROWTH OF VEHICLE
POPULATION

Year No. of vehicles (in million)

1951 0.3

1971 1.9

1991 21.4

2001 55.0

2003 67.0

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 COMPOSITION OF FLEET

Category Percentage share

in 2003

Cars 12.9

Buses 1.1

Trucks 5.2

Motorcycles 70.9

4
 ROAD ACCIDENT DATA
COLLECTION

• • Existing system
• • UN-ESCAP sponsored APRAD/IRAD
• project

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 CAUSES AND COST
OF ACCIDDENTS

• • Drivers’ fault – 77.91%

• • Pedestrian fault / fault of passengers - 1.36%
• • Mechanical defect in vehicles - 2.01%
• • Bad roads – 1.32%
• • Other factors like bad weather, cattle coming in
• the way, fallen trees, road blockage, absence of
• rear reflectors, road signage's, non-functioning of
• road signals, etc – 17.40%
• • Cost of road accidents – 3% of GDP (estimated
in the year 2000)

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 MEASURES TAKEN -
ENGINEERING
• • Design stage
• • Role of Indian Road Congress
• • NHAI roads – Geometric and safety standards
• including flyovers, grade separators, by-passes,
• Railway Over/Under bridges, bus/truck lay-byes,
• informatory retro-reflective sign boards, crash
• barriers, median railings, thermoplastic road
• markings, traffic lights and delineators.
• • Bye-passes and service lanes
• • Road Safety Audit
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 ENFORCEMENT MEASURES
• • Testing the competence of drivers at the time of
• licensing
• • Checking the physical fitness of vehicles and
• their compliance with regulations at the time of
• registration and periodical fitness check of
• commercial vehicles
• • Statutory use of helmets, wearing of seat-belts,
• detection / prosecution of drunken driving and
• prevention of plying of overloaded vehicles.
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 EDUCATIONAL MEASURES
• • Awareness campaigns through print and
• electronic media,
• • Calendars, posters, hand bills/stickers and
• fund games for school children
• • Observance of the Road Safety Week
• • Appreciated by a large number of persons
• and organizations including Members of
• Parliament.
• • Road safety part of curriculum in class VII
• under Central Board of Secondary Education.
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 VEHICLE SAFETY
• • Central Government has powers under Motor
• Vehicles Act.
• • Both active and passive safety covered.
• • Already legislated - safety belts, laminated
• safety glass for wind sheet, rear view mirrors,
• and power-steering for certain category of
• vehicles.
• • A Road Safety Map under preparation.
• • Progressive harmonization with ECE.
• • Accession to 1998 Agreement of WP-29
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 IMPORTANT CENTRAL
SCHEMES
• • Refresher training to drivers – 46,458
• covered in 2005.
• • Model Driving Training Schools – 10
• already sanctioned.
• • National Highways Accident Relief Service
• Scheme

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 ROAD SAFETY ORGANIZATION
• • National Road Safety Council.
• • Department of Road Transport &
• Highways.
• • National Highways Authority of India.
• • Transport, Police, Health and Road
• Agencies at the State level.
• • Committee of Experts to suggest a road
• safety body at Central level.
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 THE WAY FORWARD
• • A complete and comprehensive system and
• scientific approach to the issue involving all
• relevant agencies and stakeholders.
• • Re-look at organizational issues.

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 WHAT CAN ESCAP DO?
• • Universalisation of road signs and signage.
• • Promotion of time-tested safety devices such as
• seat-belts and helmets.
• • Campaigns against drunken driving and for
• promotion of safe driving practices.
• • Equipping and training police and other
• agencies to collect, compile and analyze
• accident data, investigate accidents, enforce
• speed limits and detect drunkenness.
• • Sharing the best-practices in road-safety among
• countries of the region.

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 WHAT CAN ESCAP DO?
- contd.
• • Networking of academic and research bodies
• • Designing simple and effective technical aids to
• make driver licensing procedure safe and
• foolproof.
• • Building and sharing motor vehicle and driver
• databases of countries in the region.
• • Segregation of different streams of traffic on
• Asian Highways.
• • Coverage of third-party insurance along AH
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THANK YOU

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