Prioritise road safety

ROAD accidents snuff out 350-400 lives in India every day, yet the safety of motorists and passengers does not figure among the top priorities of Central and state governments. Nor does any political party make this pressing issue an election plank. Tuesday witnessed the death of seven persons after an ambulance collided with a truck in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district; three women, a man and a child died in a collision between a mini-bus and an autorickshaw in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district on Monday evening, a day after a mishap in Uttarakhand claimed the lives of a Tamil Nadu-based journalist and a doctor from Maharashtra. The ‘Road Accidents in India-2020’ report, released last week by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, has some alarming findings. Adults in the working age group of 18-60 years accounted for 87 per cent of the total road accident fatalities in 2020. Around 70 per cent of the mishap deaths were attributed to overspeeding, followed by ‘driving on the wrong side’ (5.6 per cent).

Though the total number of accidents and deaths decreased in 2020 as compared to 2019, the improvement in these parameters owes a lot to the two-month-long Covid-induced lockdown during which traffic movement was highly restricted. The fact that more than 72 per cent of the accidents and 67 per cent of the fatalities that year occurred in sunny/clear weather lays bare the disastrous consequences of rash driving. Not many drivers bother about lane driving, with risky overtaking from the left being a common sight.

Amid the gloom, however, there is a silver lining. Artificial Intelligence-powered solutions are being explored in a bid to reduce mishaps. A project named ‘Intelligent Solutions for Road Safety through Technology and Engineering’ aims to identify potential accident-causing scenarios and alert drivers with the aid of the Advanced Driver Assistance System. Technology can indeed play a key role to make roads safer, but the human element remains critical. Disciplined driving; extensive installation of crash barriers; clear and comprehensive signage along highways – these are some of the basic measures that can curb the daily mayhem on the roads.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.