Review Article ROAD SAFETY AND ACCIDENT PREVENTION …

1 Pawan Deshpande, International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology E-ISSN 0976-3945. 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. 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.

2 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. 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.

3 The Government alone cannot tackle road SAFETY problems. 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.

4 INTRODUCTION years. Traffic fatalities increased by about per road traffic fatalities are forecast to increase over the year from 2009 to 2010. This is attributable partly to next ten years from a current level of more than an increase in the number of vehicles on the road , and million to more than million by 2020. The partly to the absence of a coordinated official policy Commission for Global road SAFETY believes that the to control the problem. urgent priority is to halt this appalling and avoidable 443 Deaths and 1301 injuries per day due to rise in road injury and then begin to achieve year on Traffic Accidents. year reductions.

5 The world could prevent 5 million 367 Deaths per day and 1290 injuries per day deaths and 50 million serious injuries by 2020 by due to road Accidents. dramatically scaling up investment in road SAFETY , at 73 Deaths per day by Truck/Lorry and 77 deaths global, regional and national levels. by Two-wheeler. Each year nearly million people die as a result of Motor vehicle population has grown at a compound a road traffic collision, more than 3000 deaths each annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10 percent 2000-2009, day and more than half of these people are not during fueled by a rising tide of motorization. travelling in a car. Twenty to fifty million more Concomitantly, traffic risk and exposure have grown.

6 People sustain non-fatal injuries from a collision, and During the year 2010, there were around 5 lakh road these injuries are an important cause of disability accidents, which resulted in deaths of 134,513 people worldwide. Ninety percent of road traffic deaths and injured more than 5 lakh persons in India. These occur in low and middle-income countries, which numbers translate into 1 road ACCIDENT every minute claim less than half the world's registered vehicle and 1 road ACCIDENT death every four minutes. fleet. road traffic injuries are among the three The loss to the Indian economy due to fatalities and leading causes of death for people between 5 and 44 ACCIDENT injuries estimated at 3% of GDP in 1999- years of age.

7 Unless immediate and effective action is 2000 is particularly severe as of road ACCIDENT taken, road traffic injuries are predicted to become victims were in the age group of 25 to 65 years in the fifth leading cause of death in the world, resulting 2010, with pedestrians, bicyclists and two-wheelers, in an estimated million deaths each year. This is, who comprise the most unprotected road users, in part, a result of rapid increases in motorization accounting for around 40% of all fatalities. without sufficient improvement in road SAFETY Motor vehicle population has grown at a compound strategies and land use planning. annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10 percent 2000-2009, road ACCIDENT Scenario in India during fueled by a rising tide of motorization.

8 In India mobile phones and personalized vehicles are Concomitantly, traffic risk and exposure have grown. increasing with the same growth rate. As an estimate During the year 2010, there were around 5 lakh road India have that number of cars only if put them accidents, which resulted in deaths of 134,513 people together in a single lane, it will reach from New and injured more than 5 lakh persons in India. Delhi to New York. Projection of the present trend of Trends in road Accidents, Injuries, Fatalities, vehicles usage reveals a rather ugly and unsustainable Motor Vehicles & road Network situation both in terms of traffic congestion and road accidents are an outcome of the interplay of SAFETY .

9 For instance while the population of India various factors, some of which are the length of road increased by percent over the past ten years, network, vehicle population, human population and the number of licensed vehicles increased by 132 adherence/enforcement of road SAFETY regulations, percent over the same period. etc. Higher exposure to road ACCIDENT risk may be According to official statistics, 430,654 people were mitigated by behavioral standards by adhering to road killed in road traffic crashes in India in 2010 (NCRB SAFETY regulations and policy interventions. 2010). The situation in India has worsened in recent Int J Adv Engg Tech/Vol.

10 V/Issue II/April-June,2014/64-68. Pawan Deshpande, International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology E--ISSN 0976-3945. CAGR of the number of accidents, injuries, fatalities growth in the number of registered vehicles and step and motor vehicles (registered) has moderated during up in the growth of road network. However, in the 1990s, after a spurt during thee 1980. Moderation in decade 2000-2010, the growth in fatalities edged the growth of accidents, fatalities and injuries during upwards vis- -vis vis the preceding decade (1990. (1990-2000). 1990s has taken place in the backdrop of lower Table 1: Growth in Select ACCIDENT Related Parameters: CAGR in per cent (Source: Report on road Accidents in India 2010).)