Industrial
Promotion Policies - Central Government
National Road Safety Policy
Draft National Road
Safety Policy - Inviting comments/ suggestions reg.
Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport
& Highways, Department of Road Transport & Highways
have formulated a draft National Road Safety Policy
in consultation with road safety experts and other departments.
The same was placed before the National Road Safety
Council, an apex Body, constituted under the Motor Vehicles
Act, 1988.
2 It has been decided to place the
National Road Safety Policy on the website of this Ministry
for inviting comments/ suggestions.
3 The comments/ suggestions may be
sent to any of the following officers in hard copy or
through email by 30th April 2005.
S.No
Name
Designation
Email
Fax
1
Shri A.P. Bahadur
Chief Engineer (PIC),
Transport Bhavan, 1-Parliament Street, New Delhi-110001
The rapid development
and expansion of the road network and the increase in
number of motor vehicles have led to a substantial rise
in levels of both passenger and freight movement. Concomitantly
safety related issues have emerged.
2 The number of road accidents and
fatalities have been growing in recent years, which
call for concerted and multi-disciplinary preventive
and remedial efforts.
3 As road accidents involve roads,
motor vehicles as also the human being, the National
Road Safety Policy needs to address on a holistic basis,
issues covering road engineering, signage, vehicle design,
education of road users and enforcement of traffic safety
measures. It is also recognized that regardless of jurisdictions,
the Central and State Govts have a joint responsibility
in making a dent on the incidence of road accidents
and fatalities.
4 In the light of this, the Govt
of India has considered it relevant to frame a draft
National Policy on Road Safety covering both preventive
and post-accident aspects of Road Safety encompassing
initiatives of public policy as well as implementation
aspects, as also the responsibilities of various stakeholders.
It has been experienced all over the
world that the countries which are undergoing increasing
and rapid motorisation face proportionately higher number
of road accidents. At the earliest stages of road safety
development, little or no safety awareness may exist
and efforts will first need to be made to enhance the
awareness of key decision-makers to the scale and nature
of the problem and the actions that are necessary to
alleviate the situation.
The situation in India is somewhat
better than a country, which may be at the earliest
stage of safety development but still far less satisfactory
than those countries, which have proven records of road
safety improvements.
However, in India the situation varies
from state to state and within a state from district
to district and within a district from one department
to another and within a department from one office to
another.
Policy Statement
The government will make increased efforts to promote
awareness about the seriousness of the road accident
problem, its social and economic implications and the
necessity to curb the rising menace of road accidents.
This will facilitate various stakeholders to play their
rightful role in promoting road safety.
Strategies to
Implement Policy
Raising awareness among key decision-makers, and stakeholders
and NGOs to facilitate them for planning and promoting
road safety.
Raising awareness about the gravity
of road safety issues amongst all citizens of the country
and particularly the young, elderly and the infirm.
To enlighten various road user groups
with respect to their roles and responsibilities.
Providing Enabling Legal, Institutional
and Financial Environment for Road Safety
Current Status
Road Safety is a complex process
involving different sectors of the economy and various
elements of the society. The responsibility for improving
the safety on the roads and reducing accidents is shared
by many governmental departments and public and private
agencies at National, State and Local levels.
To function smoothly there must be
proper legal, institutional and financial environments.
The authority, responsibility and
accountability of various stakeholders must be made
clear and proper coordination between agencies should
be developed at National, Regional and Local levels.
Road safety is a highly cost effective
activity involving the saving of human lives and the
reduction of economic losses.
Policy Statement
The government will spell out the institutional responsibilities
of the various stakeholders of road safety and take
appropriate measures to ensure that the required legal,
institutional and financial environment for road safety
is put in place. The reforms in these areas would take
into account an active and extensive participation of
the community at large and of private and business sector
as well as of NGOs for raising awareness about the road
safety issues like behavioural pattern, the human factor,
issues of risk perception as also building up of an
environment for a minimum acceptable level of safe behaviour
on roads etc .
Strategies to
Implement Policy
To strengthen the legal framework for road safety at
various levels.
To strengthen the institutional framework
for managing road safety.
To strengthen the financial framework
for road safety.
Detailed analyses of road accidents
are essential if the causes of the accidents are to
be fully understood. At the present time the police
prepare a report for the accidents that they are aware
of. The accident report requires the precise location
of the accident, details of the people involved in the
accident, details of vehicles involved in the accident,
details of the road network at and near to the location
of the accident, conditions at the time of the accident
e.g.: weather, road surface.
This daunting task would be that much
easier if the details of the vehicles stored on the
vehicle register, details of the drivers stored on the
license register and road details stored on digital
plans and maps were readily accessible.
If these basic data could be brought
together in a comprehensive database, the police report
could give more attention to the causes of the accident.
Policy Statement
The government will significantly increase help and
assistance to enhance data collection and analysis systems
in states, union territories, districts, metropolitan
cities as the components of a national road safety information
system.
Strategies to
Implement Policy
Improve the reporting of important details at the scene
of accident shortly after the occurrence of the accident.
Improve the storage and accessibility
of all data relevant to an accident such as vehicles
involved, road environment etc.
Development of a comprehensive
road safety information database needed for operating
effective safety management systems/programmes at National,
State and City levels.
Road infrastructure has a strong
influence on the perception of drivers, including their
understanding of the way the road operates and consequently
their behavior. Depending on its design a road may encourage
people to drive too fast or without the driver being
consciously aware of it, cause him to drive slowly.
In India traffic engineering measures
are often haphazard and inadequate and thus not effective
in tackling road safety problems. Road markings and
traffic signage are often not properly implemented and
usually are not properly maintained.
With present emphasis placed on the
development of transportation by both central and state
governments, with the construction of road networks
and highways, it becomes imperative that the safety
of road infrastructure is not compromised for the sake
of quantity.
Policy Statement
The government will undertake additional
steps to promote road safety practices at national,
state and local levels . Safety conscious planning and
design of roads and road networks will be encouraged
whilst undertaking new as well as upgradation and rehabilitation
road schemes through application of road safety audits.
Continuing application of ITS to achieve safe and efficient
transport system will be encouraged.
Strategies to Implement Policy
Require all proposed new and rehabilitation
road schemes to be checked from a safety perspective
for all types of road users during the planning and
designing stages through Road Safety Audit and adopt
accident reduction strategies for existing roads through
black spot improvement programmes.
Review design standards, codes, guidelines,
recommended practices, access control and development
control procedures to ensure best global practices for
road safety are incorporated wherever appropriate.
To facilitate quality improvement
of practising highway engineers on various road safety
aspects through training and dissemination of appropriate
road safety knowledge.
During the last 25 years, numerous
improvements to vehicle safety have been made as a result
of research. Without vehicle construction regulations
governing safety standards for systems such as braking,
lightening, signalling there can be little control over
the general safety of country’s vehicle fleet.
In India, vehicle safety standards
are specified in Rules 93 to 127 of the Central Motor
Vehicles Rules (1989) but these norms are hardly followed.
Old vehicles, which have low safety
standards, continue to be used.
For many vehicle owners the statutory
periodic inspection is considered a troublesome imposition
rather than an important “health”, check on
their vehicles. Furthermore the State Road Transport
Authorities lack manpower and equipment to undertake
task of vehicle inspection in a comprehensive way.
Policy Statement
The government will take steps to strengthen the system
to ensure that safety aspects are built in at the stage
of design, manufacture, usage, operation and maintenance
of vehicles in line with prevailing international standards
in order to minimize adverse safety and environmental
effects of vehicle operation on road users and infrastructure.
Strategies to
Implement Policy
To promote safety conscious design of vehicles to ensure
safe transport for passengers, drivers and other road
users.
To promote the statutory periodic
inspection as an essential check on the road worthiness
of vehicles.
Motor vehicles should be driven
only by those people who have appropriate license. Driving
licenses can be issued only to people who have reached
prescribed age, are physically and psychologically able
to drive a motor vehicle, have gone through the prescribed
education and training, have demonstrated ability to drive
motor vehicles and have fulfilled other conditions as
prescribed for driving particular groups or types of motor
vehicles. The driver licensing laws are not uniform and
in many instances they are quite lenient. No rigorous
standard driving test is given. At present often less
than five minutes are devoted to test the ability of a
driver.
Lack of lane discipline and consideration
for pedestrians and other vulnerable road users, violation
of traffic rules and regulation are just some of the
faulty driving traits of many Indian drivers today.
Policy Statement
The government will strengthen the system of driver
licensing and training to improve the competence and
capability of drivers .
Strategies to
Implement Policy
To facilitate the development of systems which ensure
that trained and competent new drivers are permitted
to come on the roads.
To improve the manpower both quantitatively
and qualitatively, to test and evaluate the driving
ability of all licence applicants. This would be done
by a system of accreditation of the quality of testing
and evaluation of drivers.
To assist and encourage setting up
of model driving schools with adequate infrastructure
and tools in partnership with automobile manufacturers,
other private sector participants and NGOs.
The road users found most vulnerable
on Indian roads from a road safety point of view are
pedestrians, bicyclists and motorized two wheelers.
Special provisions for people on
foot include regulations for pedestrian crossings which
give legal precedence to pedestrians. However, it is
the pedestrians seeking to protect their lives, who
almost invariably give way to motor vehicles.
Another set of vulnerable road users
are the non-motorized handcarts, cycle rickshaws, animal
drawn carts etc. In India, there is high degree of heterogeneity
of traffic and no segregation of motorised and non-motorised
traffic on roads. This often leads to increased conflicts
between them and thus reduced safety.
There is no appropriate legislation
to govern the behaviour of pedestrians and non-motorised
traffic on the roads.
Policy Statement
The design and construction of all
road facilities will take into account the needs of
vulnerable and physically disadvantaged in an appropriate
manner. The government will seek to disseminate ‘best
practices’ in this regard to town planners, architects,
highway and traffic engineers
Strategies to Implement Policy
Recognize Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs)
as being equally important as the motorized vehicle,
in the planning, designing, construction and operation
of roads and to provide for their special needs and
requirements.
To update existing and develop new
standards, guidelines and recommended practices in line
with accepted international practices to facilitate
safe accommodation of VRUs.
To encourage NGOs to work with Vulnerable
Road Users, to increase their awareness of the dangers.
In India, like in many developing
countries, the lack of knowledge of road safety rules
among the population at large is a major factor contributing
to the non-observance of such rules in practice. This
in turn leads to unsafe road user behaviour and habits.
In many areas road safety education
and training facilities are not satisfactory. There
are some private organizations with the association
of voluntary organizations are imparting such training
to their employees.
The school curricula in India hardly
includes a section on road safety. It is only in recent
times that the traffic police personnel of some cities
have been assigned the job for imparting road safety
education to children.
Policy Statement
Road safety knowledge and awareness will be created
amongst the population through education, training and
publicity campaigns. Road safety education will also
focus on school children and college going students,
while road safety publicity campaigns will be used to
propagate good road safety practice among the community.
The government will encourage all professionals undertaking
road design, road construction, road network management,
traffic management and law enforcement to attain adequate
knowledge of road safety issues.
Strategies to
Implement Policy
Encourage inclusion of road safety awareness as part
of educational curriculum for students of various age
groups.
To develop and implement road safety
publicity campaigns by using the creative resources
of both Government and, professional agencies and NGOs
for various target groups as per their respective requirements.
Also Planning and implementing community
based road safety programmes to engage local as well
as non-governmental partners in the areas of road traffic
safety that most affect their daily lives.
Planning, designing and implementing
training programmes for various specific groups involved
in road safety management tasks e.g. Traffic Personnel,
Highway Engineers, School Teachers, Town Planners, NGOs
etc.
Enforcement of traffic legislation
is aimed at controlling road user behaviour by preventive,
persuasive and punitive methods in order to effect the
safe and efficient movement of people and goods. The
primary objective of traffic law enforcement is the
creating of a deterrent to violators and potential violators
of traffic laws and to raise the level of compliance
among all drivers and road users. In recent years the
amount of traffic has increase substantially but the
number of traffic police and regional transport officers
has not increased proportionately. The consequences
are that the quality of enforcement has deteriorated.
The enforcement agencies face many
practical problems like low priorities being assigned
to traffic police departments, inadequacy of funds and
lack of coordination among different supporting agencies
Policy Statement
The government will take appropriate measures to assist
various state and other governments to improve the quality
of their enforcement agencies. Government will actively
encourage the establishment and strengthening of Highway
Patrolling on National and State Highways taking the
help of the State Government and Union Territories as
appropriate.
Strategies to
Implement Policy
To take appropriate measures to improve the capacity
of concerned state agencies, to affect improvement in
their driver testing and vehicle testing to the required
standards.
To take appropriate steps to ensure
that the enforcement authorities are adequately manned,
trained¸ and equipped and empowered to carry out
their function ensuring safe road use and orderly traffic
flow including the traffic situation, land use and road
network planning etc.
To setup a national level Traffic
Police Training Institute to serve, motivate and provide
incentive and necessary help to each State to set up
modern police training schools within their jurisdiction.
In the more developed countries the response time of
ambulances and the like to reach the scene of an accident
are short and many lives are saved as a result.
In India, the average response time
is much longer with the consequence that some lives
are lost that with a quicker response time might have
been saved.
However response time is not the only
important factor. The quality of post-accident treatment
also has a bearing on whether or not an accident victim
lives or dies. In some areas, Highway Patrol and Traffic
Aid Posts have been introduced to improve response time
and quality of treatment.
To achieve quick response time and
prompt high quality medical attention requires a higher
degree of co-ordination between the many agencies involved.
Policy Statement
The Government will strive to achieve its target that
all persons involved in road accidents benefit from
speedy and effective trauma care and health management.
The essential functions of such a service would include
the provision of rescue operation and administration
of first aid at the site of an accident, the transport
of the victim from accident site to an appropriate nearby
hospital.
Strategies to
Implement Policy
To improve communication system available with police
and other emergency services as a means to reduce response
times and to assist in planning and implementation of
Traffic Aid Post Scheme.
To train police, fire and other emergency
service personnel such as those on ambulances and paramedics
in basic first aid for road crash victims.
To develop local and regional trauma
plans based on study of post-accident assistance and
consequences for road traffic accident casualties.
Road Safety research is needed
to clarify the current situation in terms of priorities
and problem areas.
Accurate and comprehensive accident
data is required to provide a base comparison for identifying
problems evaluating changes and asserting the effectiveness
of any countermeasures adopted.
A particular deficiency is the lack
of research in the field of the development and monitoring
of low cost engineering measures. With such developments
immediate improvements can be implemented at the known
hazardous locations.
The dissemination of information on
road safety matters amongst professionals and others
in the field is very poor.
Policy Statement
Government will encourage the current road research
activities and programmes of road safety research. Priority
areas will be encouraged by increased funding. Government
will facilitate dissemination of the result of research
and identified examples of good practice through publication,
training, conferences , workshops and websites.
Strategies to
Implement Policy
To set up a system for identifying new areas for research
and for extension to ongoing research projects that
are likely to be most rewarding with a special attention
to safety of the vulnerable road users.
To develop arrangements for the allocation
of funds for research projects to be carried out by
Research Institutes, Universities, NGOs.
To consolidate the results already
available from research projects and resource material
for widespread dissemination among road safety professionals.
