Hyderabad: The amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act aimed at preventing road accidents which cause irrevocable damage to millions of families every year is drawing heavy criticism. Sensing the imminent public fury, the Telangana government has clarified that it will take further action after pondering upon the notification.
Rajasthan and Maharashtra governments have announced that they will go about the levy of penalties carefully. This issue is making headlines given the furore in places where new guidelines were implemented and subsequent trolling and criticism in the media. Within the first few days of implementation of the act, Rs 1.4 crore worth challans were issued in Haryana and Odisha alone.
In Bhubaneshwar, an auto driver was issued a challan of Rs. 47,500. In Gurugram, two two-wheeler commuters were levied Rs. 47,000 fine. Within three days, the penalties rose to Rs.12 lakhs in Gurugram alone.
Central Minister Nitin Gadkari urged people not to believe in misconceptions of heavy fines and assured that the amends were made for the greater good. To people’s dismay, the ministers stated that levying heavy penalties is the only way to prevent road accidents in which 65% victims are aged 18-35.
Instead of focusing on the precautionary measures and creation of road awareness, it is shocking that the government is projecting penalties as a panacea. Imposing various fines in the name of traffic violations is equivalent to robbing.
Worldwide, road accidents claim 13.5 lakh lives per year on an average. Out of them, 1.5 lakh deaths are from India. Our country has earned the reputation of being the highest-ranked in road accidents. China was able to reduce the deaths from road accidents to 99,000 within 10 years from 2005. Our governments lack such commitment towards a cause which increased accidents over the years. It’s a fallacy that drivers are the sole reason for accidents. National highways account for only 2% of roadways in India 30% of the total accidents and 35% of the total accident deaths occur on them. State Highways which account for 3% record-high number of accidents and 28% of total deaths due to road accidents. This illustrates how pitiable the condition of roads is. Potholes on roads kill 10 people per day on an average in India.
Karnataka High Court ordered that any death resulting from potholes on roads and pedestrian walkways must be considered as a violation of fundamental rights. The citizens are already paying a heavy price for the government’s failure to maintain roads. The Supreme Court has ordered restrictions on alcohol sales besides strict vigilance through surveillance cameras and special forces. If the flaws in design and construction were proved, contractors and officers must pay up to 1 lakh fine according to the new rules.
KS Radhakrishnan committee set up by the Supreme Court to investigate road safety has appreciated Tamil Nadu’s efforts in reducing road accidents. Gadkari has mentioned the same in Parliament. In 2017, 16,157 people died of road accidents in Tamil Nadu while it reduced to 12,213 last year recording a 24% decline. The government of Tamil Nadu has recorded accident hotspots in GPS. Increased surveillance was achieved through coordination between Police, Health, Transport, and Highway departments. Immediate health aid was provided to victims thereby reducing the number of deaths. Kolkata was able to reduce the accident rate too by implementing “safe drive save life”. China has made road awareness an integral part of the school curriculum.
Sweden and France are emphasizing on speed limits and road safety to reduce road accident deaths. World Health Organization has specified that 30% of road deaths could be prevented by reducing the speed limit by 5%. Taking in view these factors, roads must be designed accordingly, and extensive awareness must be created among citizens. Road terrorism can be abolished altogether only if governments take responsibility and citizens take ownership in following road rules.
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