Crash barriers

DRIVING on mountain roads demands utmost discipline. The slightest error of judgment carries the risk of a vehicle rolling down a gorge. No one knows that better than a person who has learnt driving skills in Himachal Pradesh or Uttarakhand. Yet, there is no dearth of takers for the competitive misadventure of who can drive faster and thus more dangerously. Travellers from the plains are less equipped to negotiate the hill roads. That should ideally make them more cautious. The adrenaline rush, particularly when vehicles driven recklessly by locals zip past, can get the better of them too. No accident is intentional, but behaviour on the road plays a major role. Careless and rash driving is considered the number one killer on Himachal roads.

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Road safety is a combination of a multitude of aspects. Included in the list of essentials is a stringent licensing system, fitness and loading norms for vehicles, suitable road engineering, better signage, intelligent traffic plans, speed governors, CCTV sensors, and in the hills, crash barriers. It is a costly exercise, but every rupee invested in making travel safer is more than worth it. Crash barriers, which help in absorbing the impact and reducing the severity of the accident, need to be considered an essential safety code for the mountains. As a series of reports in The Tribune shows, a more proactive approach is required in HP. Crash barriers are installed only on 429 km of the extensive road network in the state. Directions have now been issued to make a provision for crash barriers in the project report for any new road. Repair work of barriers at stretches witnessing recurrence of mishaps is also planned.

In the last five years, about 56 per cent of the roll-down accidents took place on link roads and 39 per cent on national and state highways. A budget of Rs 30 crore has been released for road safety, focusing on crash barriers. About 70 per cent of the 500-plus vulnerable stretches covering 18 km each are to be protected. Such measures should gain priority and momentum.