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Enhancing Road Safety Requires Behavioral Modifications and Legal Amendments as stated by Pradeep S. Mehta

Inadequate focus on driver-related issues contributes significantly to the majority (80%) of accidents occurring nationwide, yet this issue remains largely unaddressed across our vast nation.

Needed: Behavioral Changes and Legal Reforms for Safer Roads, According to Pradeep S. Mehta
Needed: Behavioral Changes and Legal Reforms for Safer Roads, According to Pradeep S. Mehta

India is taking a comprehensive approach to improve road safety, focusing on high-risk behaviors, enforcement enhancement, and cultural change through a multi-pronged, data-driven strategy.

A key recent reform is the negative points system for driving licenses, which penalizes dangerous behaviors such as drunk driving, mobile phone use while driving, and overspeeding. This system, designed to deter risky conduct and promote safer driving habits, is coupled with incentives like merit points and insurance discounts for good drivers.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) spearheads a 4E strategy—Education, Engineering, Enforcement, and Emergency care—to improve road safety holistically. Education efforts include public awareness campaigns, driver training, and professional education programs. Engineering initiatives involve the integration of road safety principles into highway design, construction, and maintenance. Enforcement is being strengthened through technology-driven solutions such as radar-enabled speed cameras, AI-based monitoring, and automated enforcement tools. Emergency care is a crucial part of the strategy, focusing on developing robust emergency response systems to provide timely medical care and improve crash victim survival rates.

To drive cultural change, several states have implemented behavior-focused legal reforms and public campaigns targeting specifically identified risky behaviors. For instance, Rajasthan's Road Safety Action Plan encompasses highway safety audits and behavioral interventions, including incentives for Good Samaritans and speed management blueprints.

However, legal experts have pointed out that provisions like Section 281 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) are too lenient to deter dangerous driving, highlighting the need for a legal framework that reflects today's traffic realities. CUTS International calls for key actors to unite behind an evidence-based road safety strategy, including enforcing critical provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, reviewing lenient provisions like those in the BNS, scaling up community outreach programs, investing in digital enforcement, and integrating road safety into urban planning, education, and health systems.

The success of India's road safety strategy is evident in initiatives such as Kerala's Student Police Cadet (SPC) programme, which demonstrates community participation in promoting road safety. Studies show improved helmet use and pedestrian behavior among cadets and their families in the SPC programme. Similarly, Bogotá's citywide speed management programme has seen a 11% and 26% reduction in traffic deaths on roads with 50 kmph limits.

In conclusion, India's road safety strategy is a combination of strict penalties, technological enforcement tools, educational initiatives, infrastructure engineering, and emergency care strengthening. By addressing high-risk behaviors, improving enforcement, and promoting a safer driving culture, India aims to reduce road fatalities and create a safer environment for all road users.

[1] Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Government of India. (n.d.). National Road Safety Policy 2014. Retrieved from https://morth.gov.in/sites/upload_files/morth/files/National_Road_Safety_Policy_2014.pdf [2] Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Government of India. (2020). Vision Zero: A Roadmap to Eliminate Road Crashes in India. Retrieved from https://morth.gov.in/sites/upload_files/morth/files/Vision_Zero_A_Roadmap_to_Eliminate_Road_Crashes_in_India.pdf [3] CUTS International. (2020). Road Safety in India: Time for a Paradigm Shift. Retrieved from https://www.cuts-international.org/system/files/Road_Safety_in_India_Time_for_a_Paradigm_Shift.pdf [4] World Health Organization. (2021). Global Status Report on Road Safety 2021. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240035648 [5] Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Government of India. (2019). Road Safety in India: A Review. Retrieved from https://morth.gov.in/sites/upload_files/morth/files/Road_Safety_in_India_A_Review.pdf [6] Simi T.B. (n.d.). Contributed to this article. [7] The writer is the secretary-general of CUTS International, a leading global public policy research and advocacy group. [8] Over-speeding accounted for 67.3% of all road accident deaths and 71.2% of total crashes, according to the road transport and highways ministry's 2023 report. [9] Vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, are more at risk when struck by vehicles traveling at higher speeds. [10] The writer has been a member of high-level committees on road safety of the road transport and highways ministry.

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