In today's world road and transport has become an integral part of every human being. Every body is a road user in one shape or the other. The present transport system has minimized the distances but it has on the other hand increased the life risk. Every year road crashes result in loss of lakhs of lives and serious injuries to crores of people. In India itself about eighty thousand people are killed in road crashes every year which is 13% of the total fatality all over the world. In most of the cases crashes occurs either due to carelessness or due to lack of road safety awareness of the road user. Hence, road safety education is as essential as any other basic skills of survival. Roads are an important mode of transport in India. India has a network of over 6,215,797 kms of roads as of 1 December 2021, the 2nd largest road network in the world, after the US. But Driving on Indian roads is like walking on a tight rope. You've got to be really careful with the wheels because of pathetic road conditions that could test the patience of even the most seasoned drivers. Slide 4 - It comes right after the rainy season when the roads are filled with a unique death trap called potholes. They come in all sizes and forms, from really small ones to ones that can pose a challenge to coal mines when it comes to depth. An interesting fact about potholes is that they’re like icebergs. You only see the surface, it’s almost impossible to gauge their depth until it’s too late. Before you know it, the car is overturned and you’re severely injured or even crushed to death. One of the reasons for the formation of potholes is continuous, never-ending use of the road by heavy vehicles and lack of maintenance. Slide 8 - Zoji La Pass - a major link between Ladakh and Kashmir The blink of an eye could land a vehicle straight down from an altitude of 3,538 meters from the country’s most dreaded roads as it is frightfully narrow and covered in snow sludge round the season. For instance, there are light, medium and high traffic roads, based on the volume of traffic a road receives. Similarly, you have pedestrian paths, cycle tracks, and motor vehicle roads, classifying roads in terms of the type of traffic a road receives. In 2018, The national highways comprised 1.94% of the total road network in India. Various state highways constituted 2.97% of the total length of roads. But 30.2 % of total road accidents and 35.7% of all deaths happened in our national highways. State highways were not exactly lagging behind with 25.2% and 26.8% of total accidents and deaths respectively. According to experts, the main causes of road accidents in India are rapid urbanization, poor safety, lack of enforcement, distracted drivers, influence of drugs or alcohol, speeding and a failure to wear seat-belts or helmets. Overspeeding is the reason for the highest percentage of deaths relating to road accidents. Yet, nobody cares driving a fast car or a bike at fatal speeds.

1. SAFETY ON INDIAN ROADS- A BIG
CHALLENGE
India with just 1% of the vehicular population accounts for 13 % of the total Road
Fatalities. With its size, population, diversity, urbanization and motorization; Road
Safety is the biggest emerging challenge.

3. ROAD CONDITIONS OF INDIA
OVERVIEW

4. IMPROPER MAINTENANCE –
POTHOLES ON ROADS

5. IMPROPER MAINTENANCE –
POTHOLES ON ROADS

6. IMRPOPER MAINTENANCE-
UNDER-CONSTRUCTION ROADS

7. ONGOING ROADSIDE CONSTRUCTION &
LOSS OF DRAINAGE FACILITIES

8. PRESENCE OF NON-MOTORISED TRANSPORT

9. IMPROPER DRAINAGE FACILITIES
POTHOLES, CRACKING AND OTHER ROAD DEFECTS

10. UNDERCONSTRUCTED
CITY ROAD & BAD
WEATHER CONDITIONS

11. IMPROPER REPAIR/ UNDERCONSTRUCTED ROAD

12. ROAD DEFECTS

13. WEARING OF TOP SURFACE
OF ROAD

14. LACK OF PROPER DRAINAGE SYSTEMS

15. IRREGULAR PLANNING AND
IMPROPER DRAINAGE FACILITIES

16. PRESENCE OF NON-MOTORISED TRANSPORT

17. IRREGULAR DRIVING LACK OF ATTENTION

18. Traffic in India
In Indian road- traffic the problems, like congestion, unpredictable travel-time
delays and road-accidents, are taking a serious shape.

19. TRAFFIC CONGESTION

20. Road Blockages

22. A mixture of –
Wrong Parking on roadsides leads to traffic congestion &
Irregular traffic flow & Presence of non-motorised traffic

23. A typical example of poor driver characteristics

24. BOTTLENECKS

25. OVER LOADING

28. RISKING LIVES BY OVERLOADING

29. KEY CAUSE OF ACCIDENT - DRIVER
& OVER LOADING

30. A typical example of “Hum Sath Sath hain”

31. And then happens....

32. ACCIDENTS

46. Number of vehicles, population and road traffic fatalities in
India
Year Vehicles per million Population Fatalities per million
population
1971 1,865 548,159,652 27.36
1975 2,472 625,246,123 27.03
1981 5,391 683,329,097 41.56
1985 9,170 772,196,737 50.76
1991 21,374 843,930,861 67.07
1992 23,507 861,693,859 69.28
1993 25,505 879,279,448 68.92
1994 27,660 897,223,927 71.33
1995 30,295 915,534,620 77.22
1996 33,558 934,219,000 76.96
1997 37,231 949,200,000 79.01
1998 N.A 965,600,000 82.85

47. ACCIDENTS CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO PRIMARY
CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS IN INDIA
PRIMARY CAUSE OF ACCIDENTS NUMBER OF
ACCIEDNTS
PERCENTAGE
Fault of driver of motor vehicle 46,951 48.5
Fault of driver of a vehicle other than a motor vehicle 4,478 4.6
Fault of pedestrians 8,877 9.1
Fault of cyclists 3,504 3.6
Fault of passengers 1,381 1.4
Defect in mechanical condition of motor vehicle 3,267 3.4
Defect road surface 1,153 1.2
Bad weather conditions 1,108 1.1
Other causes 22,574 23.2
Causes not known 3,819 3.9
Total 97,112 100.0

48. CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS ATTRIBUTED TO FAULT OF
BUS DRIVER
CAUSE
NO . OF ACCIDENTS
PERCENTAGE
FATAL INJURY NON-INJURY TOTAL
Improper/rash driving 34 56 53 143 40.6
Wrong overtaking 5 23 20 48 13.6
Lack of attention 11 26 25 62 17.6
To close following 0 8 29 37 10.5
Improper turning 2 7 5 14 4.0
Disregarded pedestrian 1 3 0 4 1.1
Did not give a right-of-way to 1 3 3 7 2.0
Incoming vehicle
others 4 19 14 37 10.6
Total 58 145 149 352 100.0

49. PROPORTION OF VEHICLES INVOLVED IN FATAL CRASHES
LOCATION VEHICLE INVOLVED , PER CENT
TRUCK BUS CAR
MUMBAI 52 16 24
DELHI 40 33 16
HIGHWAYS 65 16 15

50. PERCENTAGE SHARE OF FATALITIES ON DIFFERENT
CATEGRIES OF ROADS
ROAD TYPE FATALITIES (%)
NATIONAL HIGHWAYS 25.3
STATE HIGHWAYS 22.2
LOWER CATOGARIES ROADS 52.5

51. CASES OF ACCIDENT SEVERITY

52. INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON OF ACCIDENT RATES
S.NO. NAME OF COUNTRY FATALITIES PER THOUSAND ACCIDENTS
1 JAPAN 18.00
2 U.S.A. 25.00
3 U.K. 24.00
4 AUSTRALIA 125.52
5 FRANCE 50.00
6 INDIA 163.00
7 BRAZIL 229.51
SOURCE : Accident Prevention and Trauma Care Management, NATPAC, Trivandrum, May, 1987

53. MAIN CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS
1) MAGNITUDE OF VEHICLE POPULATION
2) POOR CONDITIONS OF ROADS/ ROAD DEFECTS
3) POOR GEOMETRICS
4) OVERLOADING
5) VEHICULAR DEFICIENCY
6) RIBBON DEVELOPMENT/ ROADSIDE ENCROACHMENTS
7) ROADSIDE CONSTRUCTION

54. MAIN CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS
8) BAD WEATHER CONDITIONS
9) POOR DRAINAGE SYSTEMS
10) PRESENCE OF NON-MOTORISED TRANSPORT i.e. CYCLES, RICKSHAW, HAND CARTS, ANIMAL DRAWN CARTS
AND TONGA’S
11) IMPROPER PARKING ON ROAD SIDES
12) MISSING BARRICADES ON DANGEROUS LOCATIONS
13) IMPROPER MAINTENANCE
• DIRTY SIGN BOARDS WHICH ARE NOT MAINTENED, THUS NOT READABLE
• CULVERTS NOT COVERED ON CITY ROADS
• IMPROPER LIGHTING FACILITY ON HIGHWAYS AND EXPRESSWAYS

55. MAIN CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS
14) UNPREDICTABLE HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
• DRUNKEN DRIVING
• OVER SPEEDING/ RASH DRIVING
• VIOLATION OF TRAFFIC RULES
• JUMPING OF TRAFFIC SIGNALS
• DRIVER – KEY PERSON FOR ACCIDENTS
• LACK OF ATTENTION
• TEXTING AND DRIVING
• IGNORING SAFETY – NOT WEARING
HELMETS, SAFETY BELTS
• OVERSIZED VEHICLES – DRIVING BIG
TRUCKS CALLED TROLLAS IN PUNJAB
• DRIVING ON WRONG SIDE

56. Total figures

57. Summary of accidents & deaths on National
Highways

58. Summary of accidents & deaths on State Highways

59. Accidents and Deaths figures - Analysis by type of
Collision

60. Total Accidental & death toll figures related to road
features

61. Total Accidental & death toll figures related to
Potholes

62. Total figures of accidents & deaths based on vehicle
type

63. Figures for persons killed in Bus accidents

64. Figures for persons killed in accidents from 2
wheelers

65. Figures for persons killed in accidents from 3
wheelers

66. Figures for persons killed in accidents from 4
wheelers

67. Figures for persons killed in accidents from other
vehicles

68. Figures for persons killed in accidents from truck/ lorry/
tractor

69. Total figures for accidents and deaths based on Driver
Characteristics

70. Accidents and deaths due to Drunken Driving

71. Accidents and death figures based on jumping Red
lights

72. Accidents and deaths due to wrong side driving

73. Accidents and deaths due to Over Speeding of
vehicle

74. Punjab - Accidents & persons killed due to Drunken
Driving

75. Punjab - Accidents & persons killed due to Red Light
Jumping

76. Punjab - Accidents & persons killed due to Driving on
wrong side of the road

77. Punjab - Accidents & persons killed due to Over
speeding

78. Conclusion:
In today's world road and transport has become an integral partof every human being. Every body is a road user in
one shape or the other. The present transport system has minimized the distances but it has on the other hand
increased the life risk. Every year road crashes result in loss of lakhs of lives and serious injuries to crores of people.
In India itself about eighty thousand people are killed in road crashes every year which is thirteen percent of
the total fatality all over the world. Man behind the wheel plays an important role in most of the crashes. In most
of the cases crashes occurs either due to carelessness or due to lack of road safety awareness of the road user.
Hence, road safety education is as essential as any other basic skills of survival.

79. Where is the Problem?
Whether the standards themselves are adequate to take care of
safety ?
Or
Whether the Standards need to be improved ?

80. How can the problem be solved?
1) Comprehensive review of the design standards
2) Incorporating new/improved standards

81. Road map for solving the problems
Capacity building in areas such as –
• Safety Audit (Training and accreditation of auditors)
• Design and Operation (Training of Engineers and Police)
• Creating Centres of Excellence and training
Interdisciplinary coordination and data sharing among Road/ Transport Authorities, Police, Trauma care Centres
• Accident data and analysis for improving design
• Traffic Management/ Incident management for safe operation
Ownership of road Safety
• Creating National Road Safety and Traffic Management board

82. Action Plan
• Replace worn out/ missing road signs and markings for the entire network (even before safety
audit)
• Conduct Safety Audit of entire network
• Implement Safety Auditor’s recommendations
• Concurrently, request IRC to review all standards with safety focus and bring out changes or new
standards
• Create Centres of Excellence
• Create National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board with jurisdiction over all agencies
responsible for safety.

83. A Presentation by Emaan
Sharma