Road safety slides

1. Road Safety
Grooming Road Safety
Sentinels

2. Road Sense is the offspring of courtesy and
the parent of safety
– Road safety has become even more important in recent
years. Today road accidents are the most dangerous
threat to the health and lives of people around the
world. Every country has its own road safety service and
programs that include activities aimed to prevent the
causes of accidents, and reduce the severity of their
consequences.
– It is very important to know the traffic rules and
guidelines as future drivers, passengers and pedestrians.

3. Road Safety Signs
– Understanding each and every traffic sign is among the most important aspects for all road-
users. The traffic signs communicate the basic rules and regulations of the road through
simple graphics that can be understood within seconds.
– There are three types of signs which are of great significance in maintaining road safety in
India. These are mandatory signs, cautionary sings and informative signs.

4. Road safety Rules
– Road safety is of prime importance as road accidents are among the biggest causes of deaths in the country. With the number of
vehicles on our roads increasing with every passing hour, it’s of vital importance for everyone to have traffic awareness and
understand and respect all the road safety rules in India.
 The major rules and norms of the country are as follows:
– Stop at red light and go at green.
– Always Overtake from the right side.
– When being overtaken by another vehicle, never increase your speed to prevent the other driver from overtaking you.
– Be extra careful on intersections. Also, when passing through them, ensure your vehicle doesn’t cause inconvenience to
other road users.
– Emergency Vehicles – It is your responsibility to give way to emergency services vehicles such as fire engines and
ambulances.
– Pedestrians have the right of way at pedestrian crossings or zebra crossings.
– “U” Turns- U-turns can only be taken when there is no warning sign nearby you give a proper indication to other vehicle
drivers that you are going to take a U turn
– Always use indicators to let other road users know about the planned change in the direction of travel.
– Additional Regulations – In addition to the above, the drivers should be aware of al the road safety rules, such as those of
speed limit, one-way streets, etc.

5. Statistics of road accidents in India
– Road accidents in India claimed over 1.5 lakh lives in the country in 2018, with over-speeding of vehicles being the
biggest reason for casualties, a government report said.
– The ministry of road transport and highways issued a report on Road accidents in India in 2018, which showed that
road accidents last year increased by 0.46% as compared to 2017.
– “A total of 4,67,044 road accidents have been reported by States and Union Territories (UTs) in the calendar year
2018 which showed that road accidents last year increased by 0.46% as compared to 2017.
– “A total of 4,67,044 road accidents have been reported by States and Union Territories (UTs) in the calendar year
2018, claiming 1,51,417 lives and causing injuries to 4,69,418 persons,” the report said. Over-speeding accounted
for 64.4% of the persons killed.

6. Causes of road accidents
– Road accident is most unwanted thing to happen to a road user, though they happen
quite often. The most unfortunate thing is that we don't learn from our mistakes on
road.
 There are a few major reasons for car accidents. They are-
– Over Speeding- Over speeding is one of the major causes of road accidents in India.
Many riders cross the speed limit in areas where it is dangerous to do so.
– Drunken Driving-Driving under the influence of alcohol does not only endanger the
driver’s life but also of people in other vehicles on the road.
– The condition of the road: Another reason for road accidents in India is deplorable
conditions of the road. Despite the vast network of roads in the country, most of them
have potholes, without road signs or under construction for a long period.
– Distractions to Driver
– Red Light Jumping
– Avoiding Safety Gears like Seat belts and Helmets
– Non-adherence to lane driving and overtaking in a wrong manner

7. Strategies for better road safety
– Road accidents can affect people’s livelihood and push them into poverty. Studies
show that poor households go into debt by borrowing money to cope with the
additional medical expenses, in addition to losing income after an accident.
 The following strategies can be adopted for the safety of everyone:
– Containing road accidents needs to be a multi-sectoral effort that involves law
enforcement, governance, (the issue of driving licenses and vehicle registration),
engineering (appropriate road design) awareness raising and post-accident trauma
care and management.
– Currently, India does not have a dedicated road safety fund at the central level.
However, several states such as Kerala, Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, West Bengal, Nagaland, Manipur, Jharkhand,
Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu have set up such funds. These funds receive
part of the money collected from traffic fines and the registration of motor vehicles.
The money is then used to make the roads safer by improving infrastructure on
national highways, patrolling the roads and highways, carrying out research into
road safety, upgrading post-accident care, and raising awareness about road safety.

8. – Further, establishing and maintaining a data management system that monitors and
analyzes road accidents will help identify accident hot spots and enable the
authorities to pin point what needs to be done to make these patches safer.
– So far, India does not have a national level database for road accidents, although the
World Bank is supporting the development of one which will show substantial
improvement in the current situation.
– The above exercises will help governments at the center and the states develop a
more targeted road safety program that brings together law enforcement, vehicle
safety, drivers’ licenses and training issues, as well as post-accident care on the part
of the authorities. It also includes raising awareness and improving compliance on
the part of the public.
 United Nation agencies have made road safety a priority in the recent years as road
accidents kill more people than terrorism in most countries. It has launched several
programs which aim at the safety of the UN personnel as well as citizens to ensure
than no fatalities occur due to such accidents. This is a major turning point for road
safety and will prove to be very effective as it aims to halve the amount of cases of
road accidents by 2025.