Two-day meet to draft policy for safety in transporting schoolkids

Tribune News Service

New Delhi April 21

In 2018, as many as 655 children below the age of 18 years mostly school going died in road accidents in Delhi alone, as per data available from Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Keeping in mind the rising fatalities, the national capital will host a two-day conference to formulate a draft policy for the safety in transportation of schoolchildren on April 29 and 30 at India Habitat Centre.

“The conference is aimed at developing a policy document for India and South East Asia to incorporate the following domains: roles and responsibility, road environment, vehicle factors, standard operating procedures as well as the curriculum of training of important stakeholders dealing with the transportation of schoolchildren in all modes of transport, including both motorised and non-motorised means, enforcement, and post-crash management,” said Dr Rohit Baluja, president of the Institute of Road Traffic Education.

He said even as some actions have been initiated through the directions of the Supreme Court in the area of developing codes of practice for the transportation by school buses there is a compelling need to consider other modes of transport. "A Draft National Policy for the Safety of Transporting School Children (in all modes of transportation)’ is the need of the hour," he added.

In India, at least 10,000 children below the age of 18 and 35,000 young adults between 19 and 25 die due to road accidents every year. Going by the WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety, 2018, road traffic injuries are the first cause of death among children between five to 14 as well as young adults between 15 and 29.