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- World Health Organisation (WHO)’s Global Status report on Road Safety has stated that road accidents are the leading cause of death among people in the 5-29 age-group worldwide. According to the report, more than 1.35 million lives are lost each year and 50 million sustain injuries due to road accidents.The report has been released during the ongoing Road safety Week.
- According to the WHO report, India might be losing 2, 99,000 people each year due to road accidents. However, the government pegs the number of road accident deaths at nearly 1, 50,000 people each year.
- According to experts, the reasons for such a high number of road accidents and fatalities include: a) rapid urbanisation, b) poor safety, c) lack of enforcement, d) distracted, influence of drugs or alcohol, e) speeding and f) a failure to wear seat-belts or helmets.
- India is a signatory to the Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety which was adopted at the second global high-level conference on road safety held in Brazil in 2015. It lays down recommendations on strengthening existing legislations, adopting sustainable transport and strengthening post-crash response.
- It calls to reduce the deaths caused due to traffic accidents by 50% by the year 2020. SDG target 3.6 calls to halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents by 2020.
- Further UN has had announced 2011-2020 as the ‘Decade of Action for Road Safety’ with an aim to reduce fatalities by 50% by focusing on five pillars: a)road safety management, b)safer roads and mobility, c) safer road users, d) post-crash response, and e) safer vehicles