ROAD SAFETY IS NO ACCIDENT

Pradeep S Mehta
Pradeep S Mehta
Secretary General, CUTS International
Jaipur 

Chairman Working Group on Road Safety Education

Chairman, Working Group on Road Safety Education
 Stop accidents before 
they stop you
they stop  you

Road Safety Education (RSE)

Road Safety Education (RSE) 
9 Consensual and coordinated action succeeds 
9 Single most potent tool
9 Cuts across all other E’s
 Alert today –
Alert today –
Alive tomorrow

Action Plan for Road Safety – I

Action Plan for Road Safety 

National Road  Improving  Imparting  Broadening 

Safety Policy Data  Safety 
Drivers Ambit of 
Reporting
Reporting  Education
Education  RSE
System to Children
 Look every way 
every day

Action Plan for Road Safety – II

Urban‐Rural  Nodal Agency:  Education to 

Mobilising Strengthening  Accompany  Political Will 
Divide Resources and Support
and Support
L
Laws & their 
& th i E f
Enforcement t
Enforcement
 “Safety First” is 
“Safety Always”

National Road Safety Policy

9 Finalise and adopt the National Road Safety Policy
Finalise and adopt the National Road Safety Policy
9 The Government of Tamil Nadu has adopted a State Road Safety Policy
9 National Road Safety be adopted on May 11 to coincide with the launch of 
Decade of Action for Road Safety

Imparting 
National  Improving  Broadening 
Targetting Safety 
Road Safety
Road Safety  Data  Ambit of
Ambit of 
Drivers Ed ti
Education 
Policy Reporting  RSE
to Children
System
 A licence doesn’t make you safe driver, 
A licence
any more than having a lottery ticket 
makes you a millionaire

Targetting Drivers
About 80 percent of the accidents are caused by drivers fault:
9 Illiteracy
9 Easy licence issuance
Easy licence issuance
9 Inadequate training

Imparting 
National  Improving  Broadening 
Targetting Safety 
Road Safety
Road Safety  Data  Ambit of
Ambit of 
Drivers Ed ti
Education 
Policy Reporting  RSE
to Children
System
 Safety doesn’t happen 
by accident

Improving Data Reporting System

Improving Data Reporting System
9 Need for disaggregated data
N d f di t dd t
9 Under reporting
9 Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu’ss Road Accident Data Management System
Road Accident Data Management System

National  Improving  Imparting  Broadening 

Targetting Data  Safety  Ambit of 
Road Safety  Drivers
Policy Reporting
Reporting  Education
Education  RSE
System to Children
 Don’t learn safety by 
accident

Imparting Safety Education to Children

Imparting Safety Education to Children
9 Several issues: environment, consumer education, health, sex, financial 
S li i t d ti h lth fi i l
literacy, road safety etc.
9 Need a holistic life/value package

National  Improving  Imparting  Broadening 

Targetting Data  Safety  Ambit of 
Road Safety  Drivers
Policy Reporting
Reporting  Education
Education  RSE
System to Children
 Safety is as simple as 
ABC –– Always 
ABC  Always be careful
be careful

B d i A bit f RSE
Broadening Ambit of RSE
9 Besides students, include paramedics, nurses, traffic police, transport 
B id t d t i l d di t ffi li t t
departments, NGOs, drivers etc.
9 Redesign outreach campaign to encourage discipline

National  Improving  Imparting  Broadening 

Targetting Data  Safety  Ambit of 
Road Safety  Drivers
Policy Reporting
Reporting  Education
Education  RSE
System to Children
 For Safety is not a gadget 
but a state of mind

Urban‐Rural Divide
9 70 percent accidents occur on roads other than national highways

9 State Accident Prevention Committee in Maharashtra identifies hot spots 
in rural areas and suggests remedies

Nodal Agency: 
Nodal Agency:
Urban‐Rural  Mobilising Education to  Political Will 
Strengthening 
Divide resources Laws & their  Accompany  and Support
Enforcement Enforcement
 Safety is a cheap and 
effective insurance policy

Mobilisingg Resources
9 Meagre budget – that too unspent
9 Cess on petrol/diesel
Cess on petrol/diesel
9 Allocation of part of traffic violation on fines
9 Involve auto manufacturers, insurance companies etc.
9 Larger plan allocation 

Urban‐Rural  Nodal Agency:  Education to  Political Will 

Mobilising Strengthening 
g g and Support
and Support
Divide resources Accompany
Accompany 
Laws & their  Enforcement
Enforcement
 Safety isn’t expensive, 
its priceless

Nodal Agency: 
Strengthening Laws and their Enforcement
Strengthening Laws and their Enforcement
A nodal agency to coordinate all road safety activities including 
g y y g
strengthening legislation: 
9 Motor Vehicles Act, 1988
9 Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989 
C t l M t V hi l R l 1989
9 National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board 

Urban‐Rural  Nodal Agency:  Education to  Political Will 

Mobilising Strengthening  Accompany  and Support
Divide Resources Laws & their
Laws & their  Enforcement
Enforcement
 Safety isn’t just a slogan, 
it’s a way of life

Education to Accompany Enforcement
d i f
9 Improve Road User Behaviour
I R dU B h i

9 Deterrent

9 Compliance everywhere all the time

Urban‐Rural  Nodal Agency:  Education to  Political Will 

Mobilising Strengthening  Accompany  and Support
Divide Resources Laws & their
Laws & their  Enforcement
Enforcement
 Safety never 
takes a holiday

P liti l Will d S
Political Will and Support
t
IIntent to be articulated by President, Prime Minister, chief ministers of all 
t tt b ti l t d b P id t P i Mi i t hi f i i t f ll
states at special occasions and otherwise

Urban‐Rural  Nodal Agency:  Political Will 

Mobilising Education to 
Divide Strengthening  and Support
Resources Laws & their 
Accompany 
Enforcement Enforcement
 Better a 
thousand times 
careful than 
once dead
The Way Forward
The Way Forward
9 Comprehensive Plan of Action
C h i Pl f A ti

9 Like the Millennium Development Goals, to reduce accidents in India by 
half by 2020 to coincide with the conclusion of Decade of Action for Road
half by 2020 to coincide with the conclusion of Decade of Action for Road 
Safety 2011‐2020

9 Monitor the above goals
Monitor the above goals