By Sarika Panda Bhatt, WRI India Sustainable Cities

1. 1
Road safety as a key element in planning & design
Sarika Panda Bhatt
Manager (Cities & Transport)
WRI-India

2. 2

3. Bridget Driscoll
• The victim:
• On August 17, 1896 , she became the first road fatality in the world
• 44 year old mother with two children come to London with her teenage
daughter and a friend to watch a dancing display
• The crash
• The driver was going at 6.4 km/hr.
• The witnesses described her at being hit by a car travelling at
“tremendous speed”
• The inquest
• The jury returned a verdict of “Accidental Death”
• At the inquest, the judge said, “This should never happen again”
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4. The vehicle
4

5. 5
Road safety worldwide: An alarming concern
Worldwide:
• In many countries, road accidents are
the most common cause of death in
the age group of 15-45.
• In 2020 road accidents are expected
to be the third highest cause of death
in the world.
Number of road
accident deaths per
year worldwide
Equivalent to 10 jumbo-
jets crashing everyday
Source: World Health Organisation (2004). “World
report on road traffic injury prevention”.
Number of road
accident injuries
per year worldwide
Image Source:
Carsten Wass,
Consia

6. WHO causes of death
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7. 7
Road safety scenario in India
India has the highest number of
road fatalities in the world. Number of road
accident deaths
per year
Source: National Crime Records Bureau (2009) “Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India – 2007”. New Delhi, National Crime
Records Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs.
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Road accident fatalities in India
Fatalities Fatalities / Million Population
Fatalities
Fatalities/Million
Population

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Traditional approach to road safety
Traditional focus: Making fast travel
safe for passengers inside the motor-
vehicle
But who is really
vulnerable on urban
roads
In Delhi, 63% of road
fatalities are of
pedestrians & bicyclists

9. Analysis of road accident data
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10. Who are the vulnerable road users?
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11. Common statements of the accident problem
About drivers:
 “In India, no one follows traffic rules.”
 “In most cases, drivers are at fault. They deliberately drive
recklessly, showing little regard for other road users.”
…and about pedestrians:
 “There are just too many people on the road – accidents are bound
to happen.”
 “People are always in a hurry. They do not value their lives, and
hence take unnecessary risks.”
 “No matter what infrastructure is put in place, people will still break
traffic rules to save a few minutes of their time.”
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12. The consequence of coincidence of probabilities
Eg. A car hits a pedestrian crossing a road
Factors involved include:
• Drivers attention
• Pedestrians attention
• Car’s braking system
• Skid resistance
• Visibility
Why does a crash happen?

13. Driver /
Pedestrian
External
environment
Vehicle
characteristics
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An accident
is a rare,
random,
multi-factor
event
If one of the factors is corrected, it is likely that the accident would
not happen, or at least, its severity would be reduced

14. Components of Road Safety
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ENGAGEMENTEDUCATIONENGINEERIN
G
FIVE E’s OF
SAFETY
ENFORCEMEN
T
EMERGENCY

15. What are the external environment factors
Road geometry
•Road width, continuity, curvature, elevation, etc.
•Junction type, lane alignment, channelization, etc.
Pavement conditions
•Potholes, debris, dust, water-logging, etc.
Signage & lane marking
Facilities
•Crossings, U-turns, parking, auto-rickshaws
Weather
Lighting
Visibility
…and finally, Traffic
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16. Signs and markings must
be regular and clear
Credit: CONSIA

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Road safety in the urban Indian context
Mixed land
use with direct
plot access
Diverse modes
of transport
High
pedestrian
volume
Informal street
activity /
vendors
Lack of traffic
discipline

18. Road design principle:
Considers how people will behave rather than how people should behave
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19. A poor pedestrian crossing
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Unmarked, with no
indication to
pedestrians or motorists
Narrow width,
not consistent
with footpath
width
No physical treatment
to slow down
speeding vehicles
Not at level height. Can
potentially be a tripping hazard as
pedestrians try to cross quickly

20. Is this really disabled friendly??
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21. WRI EMBARQ NMT
infrastructure design work
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22. One Way Galleria Road – Present

23. One Way Galleria Road – After

24. Road Near Max Hospital – Present

25. Road Near Max Hospital – After
Courtesy: Nikhil Chaudhary, EMBARQ
India

26. Road To Galleria – Present

27. Road To Galleria – After
Courtesy: Nikhil Chaudhary, EMBARQ
India

28. Death risk
Probability of pedestrian getting killed
Speed km/h
%
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
0
20
40
60
80
100
The 30 – 50 – 70 kmph rule

29. Speed Management
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
-10%
-20%
-30%
-40%
-50% -10% -5% 0% 5% 10%
Change in Speed
Change in Casualties
All Injuries
Fatalities
Serious Injuries

30. A change in approach: Vision Zero
• Towards Zero fatalities or serious injuries
in road traffic.
• Life can never be exchanged for other
benefits
• Providers & regulators of the road system
are as responsible for safety as users
Vision and principles
• Every accident goes through a rigorous
investigation process
• Causes are studied and improvements are
immediately implemented
• Results are monitored
Process
Year Fatalities
1997 541
1998 531
1999 580
2000 591
2001 583
2002 532
2003 529
2004 480
2005 440
2006 445
2007 471
2008 396
2009 355
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Fatalities in Sweden since the
adoption of Vision Zero
Started in Sweden in 1997
Policy replicated across many countries in Europe