Concerned at increasing road accidents, global road safety body International Road Federation ( IRF) urged the Modi government and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway for installation of  crash barriers and parapets on most of the hill roads in Uttarakhand including Char Dham Yatra route , to curb accidents and make the hill roads safer is welcome.  The IRF further stressed for separate tough driving license for hill drivers and stricter fitness and overloading norms for vehicles. This comes after at least 36 people died after a bus carrying 42 passengers lost control and fell into a gorge near Marchula in Uttarakhand’s Almora Monday morning.

The hill roads in the country are prone to regular road accident a lot needs to be done to ensure road safety, especially in higher areas in the states of  Uttarakhand , Himachal , Jammu and Kashmir,  and North East states in the country  the government should plan to incorporate the latest technologies and safety features, including installation of soil and slope stabilization and roadside safety in the hilly terrain infrastructure, crash barriers, intelligent traffic plans, rumble strips, use of speed governors and proper signage’s”. said K K  Kapila, President , Emeritus , International Road Federation (IRF)  expressing concern in a statement on Monday.

“Installation of crash barriers , special separate tough driving license for hill drivers, use of vehicle tracking system, tough vehicle fitness norms and certification  and development of safety code for hills should also be adhered to make road travel safe and sustainable on hills” said  Kapila .

 “The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways as well as confirmed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for  installation of crash barriers and parapets on most of the hill roads in Uttarakhand  including Char Dham Yatra route   , to curb accidents and make the hill roads  safer is welcome. Road crash barrier systems are used worldwide on highways, especially on hill roads, to physically prevent vehicles from running off the roadway or falling down a steep slope and protect vehicle hitting a road side object. Similar crash barriers should be installed in all hill roads” Said Biju Muthu , CEO India chapter of International Road Federation. During the year 2023  about 1.55 lakh people died in road accidents in the country.

“At present, most of the hill roads in the country have been constructed around hill slopes, which remain cut off during heavy rains due to landslides. Construction of well-engineered safe tunnels and long bridges will help in movement of traffic round the year. The Ministry of Road and State PWD’s should focus on engineering safe roads rather than more roads as rectifying faulty designed roads with black spots is more expensive than building safe roads. Similarly, the stress should also be on safe vehicles with higher visibility features, including ABS brakes, reflective tapes on commercial vehicles and mandatory fog lamps on all vehicles,” said Kapila.