Most road accidents occur in known zones, solutions lie in focused effort

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 3 –Infrastructure (Roads).

Introduction- Findings from a joint road safety assessment by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the SaveLIFE Foundation reveal that road accident deaths in India follow clear patterns. A majority of fatalities occur without traffic violations, at identified locations, and during specific time hours. These patterns show that road deaths are predictable and preventable through focused action on known problem areas.

Current Status of India’s Road Safety

1. India’s global position in road fatalities: India ranks first globally in annual road accident fatalities. Its road deaths are far higher than China, which records only 36% of India’s total, and the United States, which records 25%.
2. Deaths concentrated in limited districts: In 2023 and 2024, about 3.5 lakh people died in 9.68 lakh road accidents across India. Of these, 89,085 deaths occurred in just 100 districts, accounting for over one-fourth of total fatalities.
3. Time of accidents and emergency response gap: About 53% of all deaths occur between 6 pm and 12 am. After accidents, eight out of ten victims are hospitalised without using the 108 ambulance service, showing weak emergency coverage.
4. Road network and fatality distribution: India has the second-largest road network in the world, covering about 63.45 lakh km. However, 63% of road crash fatalities occur outside National Highways, showing that local roads drive most deaths.
5. Limited enforcement impact: Among violations, speeding accounts for 19% of deaths, followed by rash driving (7%) and dangerous overtaking (3%). Enforcement remains weak at the local level.

What Are India’s Road Safety Challenges

1. Engineering defects

• Road engineering as the main contributor: Around 59% of fatalities do not involve any traffic violation, clearly pointing to poor road design and engineering failures as major causes of deaths.
• Frequent engineering defects on roads: Common issues include damaged crash barriers, faded or missing pavement markings, unprotected hard structures, wrong or damaged signage, and inadequate illumination. These defects appear repeatedly across districts.

2. Accidents occur in known locations: Most crashes are concentrated in specific road stretches, crash-prone spots, and police station areas. These locations repeatedly report fatalities every year.
3. Crash patterns causing maximum deaths: Rear-end, head-on, and pedestrian crashes account for 72% of all fatalities. These crashes are closely linked to design flaws, visibility issues, and poor separation of traffic.
4. Weak Vehicle Safety Standards in India- Crash tests carried out by the Global New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) in 2014 revealed that some of India’s top-selling car models failed the UN (United Nations)’s frontal impact crash test.
5. Lack of Golden Hour Treatment- Lack of rapid trauma care on highways leads to high fatalities.

Evidence from High-Risk Districts

1. State-wise spread of severe districts: Uttar Pradesh accounts for most of the top 20 districts with high fatalities. Tamil Nadu has 19 severe districts, followed by Maharashtra (11), Karnataka (9), and Rajasthan (8).
2. Critical corridors and hotspots: About 54% of all fatalities occur on 18 identified corridors managed by the National Highways Authority of India and state PWDs. These corridors include 379 critical locations.
3. Intensity of deaths in severe districts: Each of the 100 severe districts records an average of 455 deaths every year. 58% of deaths occur at crash-prone locations, while 42% occur on critical corridors.

Initiatives Taken

1. Formulation of National Road Safety Policy (NRSP), 2010- The policy was formulated based on the recommendations of S Sundar Committee. Some important highlights are-
   (a) Establishment of a Road Safety Information Database.
   (b) Periodical review of road design standards and Vehicle safety standards.
   (c)  Creation of a National Road Safety Council to supervise matters related to road safety.
2. Establishment of District Road Safety Committees (DRSC)- Established under the Section 215 of the Motor Vehicle Act of 1988. These have been entrusted with creation of a district road safety plan and an emergency medical plan.
3. Passage of Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019- GOI has tried to enhance the road safety measures through this act.
   (a) Creating a National Road Safety Board to advise the government on traffic management.

(b) Higher fines for traffic rule violations.
(c) Recalling defective vehicles which are dangerous for the environment and people.
(d) Creation of a ‘Solatium Fund’ for victims of hit-and-run accidents.
(e) Punishment to the owner for violations committed by Juvenile.
(f)  Automated testing for driver’s licence and fitness certificate (FC).
(g) Protection of Good Samaritans from civil and criminal liability.

4. Focused national assessment: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and SaveLIFE Foundation jointly identified and ranked the 100 most severe districts, highlighting where deaths occur and why.
5. Global commitment to reduction: India is a signatory to the Stockholm Declaration on Road Safety, which sets a target to reduce road deaths and injuries by 50% by 2030.
6. Some global initiatives for Road Safety

Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety (2015)- India is a signatory to the Declaration.

The countries plan to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.6 i.e., to halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents by 2030.

Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030- The UN General Assembly adopted resolution “Improving global road safety” with the ambitious target of preventing at least 50% of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.

Way Forward

1. Corridor-wise road safety surveys: NHAI and state PWDs should conduct comprehensive road safety surveys on each critical corridor to identify repeated engineering defects.
2. Site-specific engineering correction: Crash-prone locations need location-specific fixes based on existing IRC and MoRTH guidelines rather than broad solutions.
3. Strengthening enforcement capacity: Critical police stations must be upgraded with adequate manpower to improve enforcement at high-fatality locations.
4. Improving ambulance coverage: All 108 ambulances should be audited for compliance, with a clear target to handle 75% of hospitalisations after crashes.
5. Better coordination using existing schemes: No new schemes are required. Current budgets must align engineering repair, enforcement, and hospital readiness through better coordination.
6. Implementation of the important recommendations of the KS Radhakrishnan panel on Road Safety– The important ones are

(a) Compulsory Audit on road safety by the state governments

(b) Creating awareness among people on road safety rules, insurance policies

(c) Providing enough compensation to victims on time.

Conclusion

Road deaths in India follow clear patterns. Over one-fourth of fatalities occur in just 100 districts, many at fixed locations and times. Engineering failures, weak emergency response, and local enforcement gaps drive outcomes more than violations. Using existing schemes, fixing known road defects, strengthening police stations, and improving ambulance reach can sharply reduce deaths without new policies or budgets.

Question for Practice:

Despite multiple policy interventions, road accidents in India continue to rise. Examine the major causes behind increasing road accidents and suggest effective measures to improve road safety.

Source- The Indian Express