The statistics on road accident related fatalities is disturbing. Last week, 16 labourers were killed in Jalgaon, Maharashtra in a train accident. The Prime Minister of India paid homage to them. Also it is reported that there were roughly 1,461 accidents during the nationwide lockdown in which at least 750 people were killed, including 198 migrant workers. As many as 1,390 persons got injured. These accidents have personal, social and financial ramifications. In Odisha it is observed that the number of deaths in road accidents in 2020 so far is much higher than the number of Covid-19 deaths. Last week, a report titled “Traffic crash injuries and disabilities- The burden on Indian society” was presented by Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.
The report was released by the World Bank in association with the Save Life Foundation, an international NGO. The report shows a thought provoking analysis of the uneven impact of road accidents and human causalities on poverty, debt, inequality, women and rural-urban gap.
Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are eighth leading cause of death across the world. There is an irregular effect of road accidents on two classes in India as defined by the report. These two classes are lower income households and high income households. Due to road traffic crash roughly 75 per cent of poor households perceive a sharp decline in their income as per the report.
As far as financial loss for the poor is concerned, it amounts to more than seven months’ household income which is equivalent to less than one month’s household income of the rich. It further shows a mindboggling data on the number of post-accident death. It depicts that the poor persons die twice in number than the rich persons in road accidents and the poor and rural folks become more physically disabled than their rich and urban counterparts.
Rural area lower income households suffer more when male members die due to accidents. It is observed that nearly 56 per cent decline in the income of rural lower income households is caused by accidental deaths of earning male members while it is 29.5 per cent decline in urban lower income households for the same reason.Women irrespective of lower and higher income households are hugely affected by road accidents impact. Women take a massive burden on family responsibilities, care- giving activities and income. Nearly 50 per cent women are severely affected by a decline of their household income.
The report further says that the number of road crash in lower income countries is three times more than that in high income countries. As per WHO Report-2018, there are 400 deaths per day due to road accidents in India. It is reported that India is having only 1 per cent of world vehicles but it is responsible for 11 per cent of all road accident deaths and 6 per cent of total road crashes globally.
From the year 2010 to 2020, the statistics shows that approximately 13 lakh people died and 50 lakh people were injured in India only. The age group of the deceased due to road accident is between 18 and 45 years.Road accident and post-accident deaths are not only personal loss to the family, but also they affect our country’s GDP. If a country loses young, productive and economically active persons then automatically it suffers from economic point of view.
India sees a 3 to 4 per cent decline in GDP due to road accidents and casualties. Further, it is to know that our medical support system engages 10 per cent of its capacity to treat only road accident related cases. So, the burden of road accident is tangible in India.
The report also throws light on the migration part. It says rural -urban migration is responsible for more road accidents in India. The people who come to urban areas are not so well versed with traffic rules. Moreover, Vulnerable Road Users (VRU) in India supplement to road crash. It constitutes the poor, especially the male road-users of working age. The VRUs have a large burden of road crashes and account for more than half of all road crash deaths and serious injuries in the country.
The report has an insightful analysis on the insurance coverage in road accident. Lower income households are the victims of unequal insurance coverage and they don’t get compensation on time.
But in case of higher income households, both insurance coverage and compensation are somehow good. Besides, legal compliance and information are not up to date in lower income households.
For example, nearly 66 per cent truck drivers don’t file any FIR after accidental crash. 40 per cent truck drivers are covered under life insurance and only 18 per cent have medical insurance. As per Union Minister Gadkari, 30 per cent Driving Licences (DL) are fake and it is evident that one person may be using more than two or three DLs. India is a signatory of UN’s Brasilia Declaration. The declaration was under Sustainable Development Goal. The major target of the Brazil declaration is to reduce road fatalities by 50 per cent by 2030. Now Union Minister Gadkari takes a target to reduce road accidents and deaths by 50 per cent by 2025. To achieve the milestone, some institutional support and basic changes are needed.
Automobile manufactures should come forward for this social cause. They should introduce low cost and affordable basic safety tools in vehicles. Basic safety tools include front airbags and quality standard in helmet. Preventing a single death due to road accident in India means a lot; we can save up to 90 lakh per person.
India has observed a month-long campaign "National Road Safety Month" this year instead of "Road, Safety Week", from January 18 to February 17. The theme of the year is, "Sadak Suraksha- Jeevan Raksha.” Apart from the campaign, an Integrated Road Accident Database (iRAD) is designed with the help of World Bank to monitor the road crash data.
In India, we have nearly 6,000 identified black spots accident zone. As of now, 2,500 black spots have been rectified by the Government of India. Of course the new Motor Vehicle Act has brought some remarkable changes in the field of road and transport.
Now, the Government has come up with an idea of regular eye check-up facilities for truck drivers. Above all, there is an immediate need for the concerned department, officers and State Governments to give importance to implement a sustainable solution to enhance road safety measures.
(Dr Parida is Assistant Professor, Sociology and Development Studies, Sophitorium Group of Institutions, Khordha, Mob: 8456879522)