India is the country with the second largest road network in the world with 63.73 lakh kilometers. Our country has emerged as the most economical road transport. Because of this, about 87% of the total number of passengers in the transport sector are traveling by road. Also, the use of road transport in freight transportation has reached more than 60%. However, despite the benefits of this road network, safety challenges on India’s roads have always been a matter of concern.
According to the Road Accidents in India report of the year 2022 of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, there have been a large number of road accidents and deaths in the country. Every day, 1,263 accidents occur, resulting in 461 deaths. According to this, one death occurs every 3.30 minutes. These figures become even more worrying when assessed on an annual basis, because in the year 2022, out of 4.4 lakh injured, 1.68 lakh people died. Of these, the number of two-wheeler drivers was almost half or 44.5% and the number of pedestrians was about 20%.
Based on statistics, pedestrians and two-wheeler riders are most at risk of road accidents. Economic reasons and increasing population rates also contribute to these problems. Two-wheeler is the most used means of transportation in India. However, in densely populated urban areas, the presence of more vehicles leads to unsafe traffic movements, especially for pedestrians and two-wheeler riders. Also, the economic reasons that make two-wheelers cheaper are also the major reasons behind their maximum use, in which driving unserviced or old vehicles is very common, due to which people put their lives at risk.
In India, due to unsafe driving by some people, pedestrians and two-wheeler drivers have to face unsafe conditions. Reckless driving, rash driving, and violating traffic rules not only create an unsafe environment on the road, but also put the lives of other road users at risk.
However, lack of awareness about road safety is also a major reason for deaths in road accidents in India. The first step to change the way of driving and change the mentality is to make people aware.
Apart from the basic road safety requirements like wearing a helmet or seatbelt, it is also important to follow the traffic rules and signs. To reduce the number of road accidents and deaths in India, citizens, society, and government will have to come together and contribute. To bring about behavioral change on a large scale, a nationwide awareness campaign is needed and this is where the second edition of the Road Safety Campaign begins. Launched as a public awareness campaign, the main objective of this campaign is to bring a sense of compassion, awareness about the importance of life among people, and behavioral change on the streets of India. Under this campaign, activities were organized to encourage safe road behavior which will help in improving road safety in India.
To take this campaign across the country, eight regional chapters were included, in which issues and challenges related to Indian roads were discussed through intellectuals and famous personalities. Additionally, the Road Safety Campaign 2024 was also taken to schools and colleges across the country, so that the youth could be made aware of safe roads.
While the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is dedicated to making roads in India safe and reducing road accidents, the responsibility of keeping pedestrians and two-wheeler riders safe cannot be put on the government or administration alone. For this, it is important that every citizen of the country contributes to this and takes steps towards making India’s roads safe by driving responsibly, following traffic rules, and giving importance to the safety of all people.
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Tag: road safety, road safety tips, Sadak Suraksha Abhiyan
first published : February 28, 2024, 20:37 IST
