Why Road Safety

Road safety is an issue that affects everyone.

India is a global leader of deaths in road accidents. This is definitely news that breaks many homes each day. India’s unenviable record of being the global leader in road fatalities, according to Ministry of Road Transport & Highways during the year 2012, there were around 4,90,383 road accidents, which killed 1,38,258 people and injured more than 5,09,667 persons, many of whom are disabled for rest of their lives. These numbers translate into one road accident every minute, and one road accident death in less than four minutes. Sadly, many of these victims are young people, those who are economically active.

The human and economic damage caused by road crashes is largely preventable. Lack of knowledge and awareness regarding road traffic rules and regulations, violation of traffic rules, flaws in road design and engineering, along with driver behaviour, can be overcome with concerted effort.

As the road user error is believed to be a factor about 82.4%* of all road accidents, improving road user behavior should always be priority. With the ability to educate and influence the general public, road safety awareness campaigns are needed.

The organisation’s road safety programs are conducted with the objective of educating and influencing road users about basic road safety, behavior, norms, rules and regulations.

We know that things can change and we believe that the significant majority of road users will find relief with proper traffic management, positive messages and appropriate encouragement. Our endeavour is to provide training, improve driving skills, bring matters to general public and help people to fight for their rights so that they don’t just miss their flights and trains but also their lives that are wasted mostly on the roads.

We do not underestimate the difficulty of the task, especially in big cities with heavy traffic. But with the help of common man and authorities and concerned persons should achieve this as we are committed to doing just that.

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY

We are all pedestrians. Walking is a basic and common mode of transport in all societies around the world. Virtually every trip begins and ends with walking. Pedestrians are a highly diverse group and the most vulnerable road users. The group includes children, older people, teenagers, joggers, the disabled and mobility impaired, and people using wheeled toys or recreational devices such as skateboards, rollerblades and foot scooters.

Pedestrians are most vulnerable in the road environment because of the greater differences in the speed ratios. Most other road users are moving significantly faster than pedestrians, and pedestrians have little or no bodily protection in the event of a collision.

According to World Health Organisation each year, more than 270 000 pedestrians lose their lives on the world’s roads. Many leave their homes as they would on any given day never to return. Globally, pedestrians constitute 22% of all road traffic fatalities, and in some countries this proportion is as high as two thirds of all road traffic deaths. Millions of pedestrians are non-fatally injured – some of whom are left with permanent disabilities. These incidents cause much suffering and grief as well as economic hardship.

The capacity to respond to pedestrian safety is an important component of efforts to prevent road traffic injuries. Pedestrian collisions, like other road traffic crashes, should not be accepted as inevitable because they are both predictable and preventable.

MAIN CAUSE FOR PEDESTRIAN ROAD INJURYSpeed, alcohol, lack of pedestrian facilities, inadequate visibility of pedestrians and inadequate enforcement of traffic laws are major factors in pedestrian traffic injuries.

SPEEDTravelling speed and the risk of a pedestrian crash. Impact speed is influenced by travelling speed and braking. Factors influencing vehicle speed reveal how the interaction between the vehicle, road environment and road user create risks for pedestrians.

• Driver-related factors (age, sex, alcohol level, number of people in the vehicle)
• Road- and vehicle-related factors (road layout, surface quality, vehicle power, maximum speed) and
• Traffic- and environment-related factors (traffic density and composition, prevailing speed, weather conditions).

ALCOHOL
Impairment by alcohol is an important factor influencing both the risk of a road traffic crash as well as the severity and outcome of injuries that result from it. Alcohol consumption results in impairment, which increases the likelihood of a crash because it produces poor judgement, increases reaction time, lowers vigilance, excessive speed and decreases visual acuity.

LACK OF PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES
Lack of facilities such as sidewalks, or adequate consideration of pedestrian access at intersections . Infrastructure facilities and traffic control mechanisms that separate pedestrians from motor vehicles and enable pedestrians to cross roads safely are important mechanisms to ensure pedestrian safety, complementing vehicle speed and road system management.

INADEQUATE VISIBILITY OF PEDESTRIANS

• Inadequate, or lack of, roadway lighting;
• Vehicles and bicycles not equipped with lights;
• Pedestrians not wearing reflective accessories or brightly coloured clothes, especially at night and at dawn or dusk; and
• Pedestrians sharing road space with fast-moving vehicles.

OTHER RISK FACTORS: Several other factors that contribute to pedestrian injury include

• Inadequate enforcement of traffic laws;
• Unsafe driving practices;
• Driver distraction, including mobile phone use;
• Driver fatigue;
• Pedestrian–vehicle conflict at pedestrian crossing points;
• reduced reaction time and reduced walking speed for the elderly;
• Inability of children to gauge vehicle speed and  relevant information in order to cross the street safely alone;
• Lack of supervision of children who are too young to make safe judgements;
• Pedestrian distraction, including mobile phone use
• Attitudes of drivers and pedestrians;
• Failure of drivers to respect right-of-way for pedestrians, including failure to yield at pedestrian crossings;
• Vehicle condition and defects (e.g. brakes, lighting, windscreen); and
• Quiet (electric) vehicles, whose presence cannot be detected by normal auditory means.
• Pedestrians are also often difficult to see and their behaviours may be unpredictable.

AS A DRIVER YOU HAVE RESPONSIBILITY

• Pedestrians are not just ‘traffic’ — they are people. They are unpredictable, and the younger they are the faster they are likely to move or change direction. Those with children, the elderly, the blind and the disabled all need your care.
• As a driver  you have the legal and moral responsibility to take proper care to avoid accidents with pedestrians at all times and places — even if the pedestrian is jaywalking. Always try to give way to a pedestrian on the roadway.
• Please drive carefully and slowly when pedestrians are about particularly in crowded streets, or when you see a bus stop, or near a stall. Look out for pedestrians entering the road suddenly, for example from behind parked or stopped vehicles.
• When entering or emerging from a place facing the road, wherever possible use proper driveways and try to avoid reversing. Always give way to pedestrians.
• As a driver you always should obey all speed and road rules and to pay particular care around restricted speed zones, and to be vigilant with pedestrians.
• Do not honk if someone is crossing the road even he or she is slow in walking.
• Be extra cautious when pedestrian using mobile phones and portable media players.
• Talk to your kids about how to be safe while walking. It’s always best to walk on sidewalks or paths and cross at street corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks.
• Teach kids at an early age to put down their devices and then look left, right and left again when crossing the street.
• Set a good example by putting devices down when you are driving or walking around cars. If we put our devices down, our kids are more likely to do the same.
• Remind kids to make eye contact with drivers before crossing the street and to watch out for cars that are turning or backing up.
• When driving, be especially alert in residential neighbourhoods  and school zones and be on the lookout for bikers, walkers or runners who may be distracted or may step into the street unexpectedly.

AS A PEDESTRIAN YOU HAVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR SELF

• Always show due care and consideration for others.
• Use footpath where available and avoid being next to the kerb with your back to the traffic.
• If there is no pavement, keep to the right-hand side of the road so that you can see oncoming traffic. You should take extra care and be prepared to walk in single file, especially on narrow roads or in poor light
• Help other road users to see you. Use reflective material at night and if reflective material is not available at least wear light/bright coloured cloths
• Do not let your young children go out on the road. When walking with you keep them other side of traffic and holding hands.
• When walking together should use a pavement if available; if one is not, you should keep to the left and single line.
• Pedestrians are not allowed on the Highways and expressways. Please do not walk on Highways or Expressway unless it is an emergency.
• Find a safe place to cross and where there is space to reach the pavement on the other side.
• Stop just before you get to the kerb, where you can see if anything is coming.
• Look all around for traffic and listen. Traffic could come from any direction. Listen as well, because you can sometimes hear traffic before you see it.
• If traffic is coming, let it pass.
• When it is safe, go straight across the road – do not run.
• Where there are barriers, cross the road only at the gaps provided for pedestrians. Do not climb over the barriers or walk between them and the road.
• When crossing one-way streets, check which way the traffic is moving. Lookout for opposite direction, someone may come from there too.
• Never cross behind a vehicle which is reversing, showing white reversing lights or sounding a warning.
• Give traffic plenty of time to see you and to stop before you start to cross. Vehicles will need more time when the road is slippery.
• You should only start to cross the road when the green figure shows. If no pedestrian signals have been provided, watch carefully and do not cross until the traffic lights are red and the traffic has stopped
• If an ambulance, fire engine, police or other emergency vehicle approaches using flashing blue lights, headlights and/or sirens, keep off the road.
• Get on or off a bus/Taxi/Car/Auto only when it has stopped to allow you to do so. Watch out for Motorcyclists/cyclists/Rickshaws etc. when you are getting off. Never cross the road directly behind or in front of a bus.
• A footpath may be closed temporarily for repair. Take extra care if you are directed to walk in or to cross the road.

India is a global leader of deaths in road accidents!

This is definitely news that breaks many homes each day. India’s unenviable record of being the global leader in road fatalities, during the year 2011, there were around 4.98 lakh road accidents, which killed 1.42 lakh people and injured more than 5 lakh persons, many of whom are disabled for rest of their lives. These numbers translate into one road accident every minute, and one road accident death in less than four minutes. Sadly, many of these victims are young people, those who are economically active.

Road safety is an issue that affects everyone in India.  We all need to use the roads to get around – to school, to work, to the doctor, to the shops, to the cinema. Most of us use the roads every day, as drivers, passengers, cyclists and pedestrians, and for many people driving is the main part of their job.  It is essential therefore, to ensure that, as far as possible, we can all use the roads in safety.

The tremendous increase in population of Traffic, its bad management and the pathetic conditions of the roads pose regular danger to human life and make every day travel, an ordeal. You often wonder what you get to encounter more in any given day, the number of potholes or cows. Abusive behaviour or the non-functional traffic signals leading to utter chaos. Traffic jams for no reason. What can we do but mutter under our breath or loud enough for everyone to hear that things will never change!

Why India lacks so much in terms of road safety and traffic management? When compared international level it stands nowhere. It is very difficult to get the answer the many questions related to traffic that come to mind each time we get out of our homes. This is the time when we should stand up to initiate a way to stop further damage.

We  know that things can change and we believe that the significant majority of road users will find relief with proper traffic management, positive messages and appropriate encouragement. Our endeavour is to provide training, improve driving skills, bring matters to general public and help people to fight for their rights so that they don’t just miss their flights and trains but also their lives that are wasted mostly on the roads.

We do not underestimate the difficulty of the task, especially in big cities with heavy traffic. But with the help of common man and authorities and concerned persons should achieve this as we are committed to doing just that.