30th Road Safety Week - A Report
The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Govt. of India has announced the observance of 30th Road Safety Week Campaign from 4th to 10th February 2019. The theme for this year campaign is Sadak Suraksha – Jeevan Raksha”. Various programs related to the road safety is organised in many cities to edify people about road safety, driving rules and cautions.
Road safety week is a national event aimed at raising public awareness about traffic rules and ultimately to reduce casualties due to road accidents. Millions lose their life and millions get injured in road accidents; mainly, due to lack of awareness about traffic rules or a behavior of ignoring them. Therefore, to make people more aware of the traffic rules and to persuade them to follow rules while on road; the Road Safety Week is observed every year.
Though the government observes the road safety weeks, many Automobile Manufacturers across the country also do their bit support to the Road Safety Week Campaign.
Addressing an event in the national capital, Shri Nitin Gadkari , Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways said that “We are connecting the nation through tunnels, bridges, roads and highways, but our main target is to bring down the death count happening because of road accidents. Approx 1.5 lakh people die in nearly 5 lakh road accidents every year in India. Around 48% of these fatalities happen to be in the age bracket between 18 and 35years. We aim to drastically cut down the figures and change this scenario. We are taking various initiatives including awareness campaigns like this, identifying black spots of accidents and seeking people’s co-operation. I would appeal to everyone to participate in this road safety initiative.”
Society of Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) kick-started the Road Safety Week campaign from India Gate on 4th of February. Mr. Sugato Sen, Deputy Director General, SIAM said, ‘’There has been several measures taken to bring down the rate of road fatalities in India but yet, there has been not much of improvement. In order to change the bleak picture of road safety in our country, we aim to identify the steps and areas which are really helping in bringing down the number of road fatalities and concentrate on those.”
A new research report by Nissan India and SaveLIFE Foundation brought attention to the startling number of Indians compromising their and their childrens’ safety. The study titled ‘Rear Seat-Belt Usage and Child Road Safety in India’, found that over 90 percent respondents reported not using a rear seat-belt, thereby risking their safety.
Thomas Kuehl, President, Nissan India, said, “While there have been various initiatives undertaken to raise awareness around road safety in India, the importance of wearing rear seat belts has been completely neglected. At Nissan, it is our vision to enrich people’s lives and through this initiative, we aim to raise awareness around the usage of rear seat belts. Our strategic partnership with SaveLIFE Foundation and SHARP will set a strong base to bring attention towards this important issue.”
Piyush Tewari, Founder and CEO of SaveLIFE Foundation, noted, “This report documents, for the first time in India, the concerning state of child safety on our roads and the public’s perception and expectation regarding the usage of rear seat belts”
Uber India launched a comic series drafted by the authors of Amar Chitra Katha Media and Tinkle Comics to reach young audiences in India.
Chand Tulal Mazumdar, Acting Head of Public Policy & Government Relations, Uber India said, “We are proud to be a part of the Ministry’s effort to dramatically reduce road accidents and fatalities on Indian roads, which result in nearly 500,000 accidents annually. Safety is a shared responsibility and this partnership takes us a step closer to our goal. We keep looking for innovative and interesting ways with which to reach our audiences”
Hyundai Motor India announced nationwide initiatives to spread road safety awareness during the road safety week. Hyundai Motor India launched the #BeTheBetterGuy campaign will highlighting 7 key Road safety practices during the Road Safety Week:
Mr. Puneet Anand, Sr. GM and Group Head- Marketing, Hyundai Motor India Ltd. Said, “In line with the Government’s theme of Sadak Suraksha – Jeevan Raksha, Hyundai’s multiple digital and on-ground activities during the Road Safety Week 2019 will engage customers in life-saving road safety practices.”
Mitsubishi Corporation India, Metal One India and Isuzu Motors India jointly contribute to the National Road Safety initiative. They Highlight various efforts undertaken during 2018-19 to promote Road Safety in and around SriCity region and Donates ‘Road Safety Equipment’ to District authorities in commemoration of the ‘30th National Road Safety Week 2019’.
Mr. Naohiro Yamaguchi, Managing Director, Isuzu Motors India Pvt. Ltd., said, “Our efforts have helped the commuters and all community stakeholders in the region and we strongly believe these initiatives will significantly reduce road accidents and promote road safety”.
Mr. Eisuke Shiozaki, CMD, Mitsubishi Corporation India, said “As a global entity, we lay strong focus into various social improvement and welfare programs in each market we operate. While road safety gaining more attention in India, we are happy to extend our committed support to this cause, especially in the state of Andhra Pradesh”.
With an annual CSR spend of over INR 100 crores as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility along with enhancing customer and pedestrian safety by providing advanced safety features in cars ahead of regulations, Maruti has also been undertaking social initiatives targeting aspects of road safety with high potential impact. Some the initiatives are introduction of Traffic Safety Management System (TSMS), Trainings in driving school, and Unnati’ programme which offers driving training and soft skills training for better employability.
“In road safety, we recognise that use of technology to improve enforcement is the way forward. We are supporting Delhi Government’s effort to reform the driving licence system by setting up 12 test centres, equipped with video analytic technology. We have also partnered with Delhi Police to use state-of-the art cameras to check traffic violations. Also, the Company identified, through a nationwide survey, that the usage of seat-belts in the country is abysmally low. To promote the use of seat-belts, the Company launched a nationwide safety awareness campaign, #PehniKya? in FY 2017-18.” Says Mr Kenichi Ayukawa, MD & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited
Two Wheelers Helmet Manufacturers Association has been proactively taking up the matter of helmet safety in India.
Sharing thoughts on National Road Safety Week on the sidelines of SIAM's Seminar Mr. Rajeev Kapur, President, Two Wheelers Helmet Manufacturers Association and MD, Steelbird Hi-Tech India Ltd said “Urbanisation has led to doubling in traffic fatalities in the past few years with the number of deaths around 3 lacs per year as per WHO report. Most people affected are pedestrians and two wheeler users.”
Here are some finding on Road and safety in India:
Road Safety Week is an chance for us to comprehend the preciousness of life and make people understand what could be done to save our own life as well as the life of others on the road. Even if you don’t get directly involved in the campaign, you can contribute your bit by taking cautions and adhering to traffic rules. Only you can save your life as well as the life of others if you behave responsibly on road and follow the rules and regulations.
