Review Article ROAD SAFETY AND ACCIDENT …

1 Pawan Deshpande, International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology E-ISSN 0976-3945 Int J Adv Engg Tech/Vol. V/Issue II/April-June,2014/64-68 Review Article road SAFETY AND ACCIDENT PREVENTION IN INDIA: A Review Pawan Deshpande Address for Correspondence Director, Lotus White Concept Realization Private Limited, New Delhi, INDIA ABSTRACT road accidents are a human tragedy.

2 They involve high human suffering and monetary costs in terms of untimely deaths, injuries and loss of potential income. Although we have undertaken many initiatives and are implementing various road SAFETY improvement program the overall situation as revealed by data is far from satisfactory. During the calendar year 2010, there were close to 5 lakh road accidents in India, which resulted in more than lakh persons. These numbers translate intone road ACCIDENT every minute, and one road ACCIDENT death every 4 minutes. Unfortunately, more than half the victims are in the economically active age group of 25-65 years.

3 The loss of the main bread winner can be catastrophic. road traffic accidents are amenable to remedial action. Many a countries have curbed the menace of road accidents by adopting a multipronged approach to road SAFETY that encompasses broad range of measures, such as, traffic management, design and quality of road infrastructure, application of intelligent transport system, safer vehicles, law enforcement, effective and quick ACCIDENT response and care etc. The Government alone cannot tackle road SAFETY problems.

4 There is a need for active involvement of all stake- holders to promote policy reform and implementation of road SAFETY measures. Addressing road SAFETY is comprehensive manner underscores the need to involve multiple agencies and sectors like health, transport and police. The present study provides the magnitude and various dimensions of road ACCIDENT in India. The analysis on road accidents in this study will help to create awareness, guidelines and assist in informed decision making on road SAFETY . KEYWORDS: road SAFETY , ACCIDENT Prevention, Pedestrian SAFETY , ACCIDENT Classification.

5 INTRODUCTION road traffic fatalities are forecast to increase over the next ten years from a current level of more than million to more than million by 2020. The Commission for Global road SAFETY believes that the urgent priority is to halt this appalling and avoidable rise in road injury and then begin to achieve year on year reductions. The world could prevent 5 million deaths and 50 million serious injuries by 2020 by dramatically scaling up investment in road SAFETY , at global, regional and national levels.

6 Each year nearly million people die as a result of a road traffic collision, more than 3000 deaths each day and more than half of these people are not travelling in a car. Twenty to fifty million more people sustain non-fatal injuries from a collision, and these injuries are an important cause of disability worldwide. Ninety percent of road traffic deaths occur in low and middle-income countries, which claim less than half the world's registered vehicle fleet. road traffic injuries are among the three leading causes of death for people between 5 and 44 years of age.

7 Unless immediate and effective action is taken, road traffic injuries are predicted to become the fifth leading cause of death in the world, resulting in an estimated million deaths each year. This is, in part, a result of rapid increases in motorization without sufficient improvement in road SAFETY strategies and land use planning. road ACCIDENT Scenario in India In India mobile phones and personalized vehicles are increasing with the same growth rate. As an estimate India have that number of cars only if put them together in a single lane, it will reach from New Delhi to New York.

8 Projection of the present trend of vehicles usage reveals a rather ugly and unsustainable situation both in terms of traffic congestion and SAFETY . For instance while the population of India increased by percent over the past ten years, the number of licensed vehicles increased by 132 percent over the same period. According to official statistics, 430,654 people were killed in road traffic crashes in India in 2010 (NCRB 2010). The situation in India has worsened in recent years. Traffic fatalities increased by about per year from 2009 to 2010.

9 This is attributable partly to an increase in the number of vehicles on the road , and partly to the absence of a coordinated official policy to control the problem. 443 Deaths and 1301 injuries per day due to Traffic Accidents. 367 Deaths per day and 1290 injuries per day due to road Accidents. 73 Deaths per day by Truck/Lorry and 77 deaths by Two-wheeler. Motor vehicle population has grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10 percent 2000-2009, during fueled by a rising tide of motorization.

10 Concomitantly, traffic risk and exposure have grown. During the year 2010, there were around 5 lakh road accidents, which resulted in deaths of 134,513 people and injured more than 5 lakh persons in India. These numbers translate into 1 road ACCIDENT every minute and 1 road ACCIDENT death every four minutes. The loss to the Indian economy due to fatalities and ACCIDENT injuries estimated at 3% of GDP in 1999-2000 is particularly severe as of road ACCIDENT victims were in the age group of 25 to 65 years in 2010, with pedestrians, bicyclists and two-wheelers, who comprise the most unprotected road users, accounting for around 40% of all fatalities.