Proposed Bill can bring change for the better
The Road Transport and Safety Bill, 2014, recently proposed by the Union Government, has the potential to revamp the manner in which Indians commute, through a multi-pronged approach to road discipline. From traffic laws and car safety provisions to road accident insurance and motor vehicle registration, this Bill looks at just about every aspect of ground transportation. This is as it should be, for road safety is not a one-dimensional phenomenon. At the most basic level, the Bill proposes the implementation of a host of safe practices by road users, such as compulsory child restraints and helmets for all passengers on two-wheelers. It also calls for higher fines and penalties for traffic violations and talks about upgrading existing systems such as the manner in which drivers' licences are issued. At the next level, the Bill seeks to ensure safer vehicles — this ranges from making it compulsory for car makers to include certain safety mechanisms into their cars to streamlining the registration of motor vehicles. At the third level, the focus is on improving transport infrastructure through better road designs (think quality of roads, demarcation of traffic lines, BRTs) and ensuring last mile connectivity (think feeder bus routes leading to metro stations). At the fourth level, the new legislation takes an institutional view and has plans for a host of new authorities that will decide on road transportation issues. The Bill also addresses the concerns of pedestrians who are often ignored in the road safety discourse even though they both contribute to and suffer from road accidents. Finally, it also seeks to bring about greater transparency in the insurance sector related to road safety — for example, firming up a post-crash investigation protocol. Also, until now, courts have decided on how much compensation is due in the case of accidents; now these figures may be fixed by law.
Given that the country holds the shameful record for one of the highest number of road accidents and fatalities, this effort could not have come a day sooner. Hundreds of people die in road accidents every year in India, and the country accounts for 10 per cent of the global road crash fatalities. Yes, this figure should be tempered by the fact that India is home to 17 per cent of the world's population, but even then, its road accident rates are significantly higher than that of neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh, for example. Either way, as India rises up the economic ladder and increasing numbers of people take to the roads in cars, scooters and motorbikes, the importance of ensuring greater road safety — hardly a priority issue at this time — cannot be understated. If remedial steps are not taken now, it is estimated that in just another five to six years, the number of road fatalities will double. But while the state has a big role in bringing about road safety, the aam aadmi on the street also has to be equally responsible for self and the others around.