United Nations has declared 2011-2020 as the ′decade for road safety′ to encourage nations to take measures to make roads safe and ensuring safety of road users. The collaborative efforts of the MoRTH, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the state governments are crucial to reverse the trend of RTI and deaths in the country. The response of MoRTH and MoHFW are vital for a collaborative effort on reversing the trend of RTI and are discussed under the five pillars for road safety.
Response of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Pillar 1: Road safety management. Recognizing road accidents to be a major public health problem with the victims being mainly from the poor and vulnerable sections, a National Road Safety Policy has been formulated by the Government of India.
This policy outlines various measures such as promoting awareness, establishing road safety information database, encouraging safer road infrastructure including application of intelligent transport, and enforcement of safety laws.
A National Road Safety Council has been established, which will be the apex body to take policy decisions. State governments are to form a Road Safety Council and District Road Safety Council for better management.
A road safety week is observed starting 12 January every year by the MoRTH.
Pillar 2: Safer roads and mobility. A committee constituted by the Supreme Court of India on road safety issued a press note inviting suggestions for improving road safety and making changes.
Such initiatives to engage citizens to participate should be followed by real-time interventions with appropriate technical input from experts. Other initiatives piloted by the MoRTH also include cashless treatment for RTI victims on selected national highways, advanced life support ambulances provided by the National Highway Authority of India and activation of a toll free number 1033 to address all accidents on roads. However, the impact of these initiatives needs to be evaluated, before expansion.
Pillar 3: Safer vehicles. The fitness tests of motor vehicles, being done presently are visual and subjective by the inspecting officer. In order to have an effective system for inspection and certification (I&C) of motor vehicles from the safety and emission angles, the MoRTH intends to put in place a suitably designed automated system throughout the country for rigorous and objective inspection of motor vehicles and to remove the defects before they are allowed to ply on the road.
During the 11th Five-Year Plan, the MoRTH sanctioned 10 I&C centres. During the 12th Five- Year Plan, the government has decided to set up 10 more I&C centre, one each in the states where I&C centres were not sanctioned during the 11th Five-Year Plan.
Pillar 4: Safe road users . Section 129 of the Motor Vehicle Act of India, 1988, mandates the use of helmets by every person driving or riding on a motorcycle of any description while in a public place, considering the maximum contribution to road morbidity and mortality is by two wheelers. However, since transportation is a state subject, the enforcement of this regulation rests on the respective states. Enforcement of legislation on compulsory use of helmets for drivers and pillion riders is challenging and needs to be coupled with continuous public awareness on the benefits of helmets and seat belt.
Under the direction of the Supreme Court of India, the enforcement of protection of the ′Good Samaritan′ rests on the MoRTH and Ministry of Law and Justice, for which appropriate policies are being put in place. On 13 May 2013, the Supreme Court of India approved the release of detailed guidelines for protection of Good Samaritans from legal hassles.
A detailed guideline on the Good Samaritan has been issued by the MoRTH with inputs from the MoHFW. This policy would be effective only when the public at large gains confidence that there will be no hassles to be a Good Samaritan and move injured persons to the nearest hospital to save lives.
Pillar 5: Post-crash response. The medical intervention as a post-crash response is under the purview of the MoHFW. The standards required for an ambulance to ply on roads have been approved by the MoRTH as a National Ambulance Code. This code classifies the road ambulances to four type as A, B, C and D (First Responder, Patient Transport, Basic Life Support and Advanced Life Support).
Considerations are being made by the MoRTH for mandatory adoption of this code.
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