Deadly billboards – Despite frequent accidents, there is no political will to regulate billboards

Source: The post is based on the article “Deadly billboards – Despite frequent accidents, there is no political will to regulate billboards” published in The Hindu on 8th June 2023.

Syllabus: GS 3 – Road Safety.

Relevance: About billboard accidents in India.

News: Giant outdoor billboards are crashing and becoming death traps for many in recent times. The recent deaths of three workers, in Coimbatore last week, after they were crushed by the falling steel frames of a hoarding is one such example.

Why there are increased incidents of billboard accidents?

a) Many municipal corporations fail to curb unlicensed hoardings, b) Occasional corrective actions against billboards are often due to the intervention of the judiciary or triggered by fatal accidents. For example, the Tamil Nadu government removed thousands of unauthorised hoardings in Chennai on the directions of the Supreme Court in 2008, c) Many leaders, especially political leaders, encourage their larger-than-life projections on flex banners and illuminated cut-outs and d) There is a lack of manpower in municipalities to enumerate unlicensed hoardings, periodically inspect authorised billboards, and act against unstable or illegal ones.

All these made enforcing legal and all-weather structural stability requirements of billboards being ignored.

What should be done to prevent further billboard accidents?

The outdoor advertising market globally is poised to grow to $67.8 billion in 2023. So to prevent further billboard accidents the government should do the following.

a) Violators deserve stringent punishment, b) International studies have pointed to billboards being dangerous distractions on roads as they affect a driver’s response time, vehicle lateral control and situational awareness. So, accidents caused by such distractions must be documented in the annual Road Accidents in India report.