The International Road Federation (IRF) and SaveLIFE Foundation have expressed grief and concern at the death toll in mishaps that occurred in Uttarakhand on Tuesday. The IRF has stressed on the need for installation of crash barriers, separate tough driving license for school vehicle drivers in mountains and stricter fitness and overloading norms for vehicles.
“The WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety, 2018 reveals that road traffic injuries are the first cause of death among children aged 5 and 14. As far as India is concerned, the data provided by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India also highlights that 10,000 children below the age of 18 are killed in road accidents every year. Children travel to schools through various modes of transport and hence The Development of a Draft National Policy for the Safety of Transporting School Children (in all modes of transportation) with tough norms is the need of the hour,” IRF president emeritus KK Kapila.
“The mountain roads in the country are prone to regular road accidents. A lot needs to be done to ensure road safety, especially in higher areas in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, 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 stabilisation and roadside safety in the hilly terrain infrastructure, crash barriers, intelligent traffic plans, rumble strips, use of speed governors and proper signage’s”, he added.
“The recent move by Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways as confirmed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to install crash barriers and parapets on most of the hill roads in Uttarakhand including Chard 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. 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,” said Kapila.
The chief executive officer of SaveLife Foundation, Piyush Tewari said, “It’s disheartening to see that mass-casualty bus crashes in India are increasing on a daily basis. India’s hill roads are notorious for poor road safety infrastructure. Had there been simple interventions like installation of crash barriers taken on the roads, two major road crashes would not have happened today which killed more than 14, including nine children. The State Government must immediately order a summary audit of all roads and the engineers and contractors responsible for missing these basic installations must be booked for causing countless deaths and injuries.”