In the Present Age of Speed, It Is Imperative That All Modes of Travel, Especially the Road Travel in India Is Made Safe for All Categories of People. Comment.

For all those who feel for India and its people, the number of deaths on Indian
roads as a result of accidents, collision, negligence, rash driving et al, is both shocking
and stupefying. When knowledgeable people describe Indian road as ‘death traps’ it does
credit neither to road makers nor to those whose duty it is to see that roads remain free
from all types of hassels and harrowing happenings.
Unless and until the Ministry of Surface Transport, Traffic Regulatory Agencies/Police etc.
put road safety under the scanner and devise meaningful and result-oriented ways and
means to render road travel a pleasant experience, things would not improve. Strict
adherence to traffic rules and regulations is just one of the measures that can bring
about perceptible change in the situation. Unfortunately, the series of accidents that
occur on Indian roads day in and day out brings home the terrible truth that raising the
safety bar on Indian roads remains a pipedream. When the tools of high technology are
readily available and there is no shortage of funds, it is not comprehensible why this vital
area of transport, both goods and humans, remains vulnerable to accidents.
Ironically, while new roads are being built, and newer, supposedly safer automobiles—
with safety features like airbags, crash sensors etc—race out of the factories, the
country’s road safety record remains abysmal. No doubt, several factors contribute to
the appalling statistics that tell the sorry state of affairs on roads. In India, this is
particularly true since the facilities available for non-motorised users are poor or even
non-existent. It is high time the authorities did more than indulge in “traffic drives” to
book errant drivers.
Only a zero tolerance policy on a sustained basis to educate people on good road sense
will work. The test of this is the way road users put on their best behaviour during the
“Safety Week” every year. This is the one period when the number of...