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Varsha, Researcher

When the rubber hits the road !

Tamil Nadu was the first state to bring in a Road Safety Policy as a part of its road safety management system. However, the status of the existing Road Safety Policy calls for an immediate review to ensure that the policy reflects prevailing road safety issues and identifies existing policy constraints. This report furnishes a set of recommendations for the state through a qualitative comparison of Road Safety Policies of other states in India.

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Tamil Nadu’s MARCH towards Vision ZERO

Globally, road crashes kill 1.35 million people and injure 50 million people every year. Road Traffic Injuries are the leading cause of death amongst children and young adults. It is important to recognise that road crashes not only contribute to the unaccountable suffering of victims, their friends and families but also impact economically productive young lives thereby draining the GDP of the nation. . India witnesses more than 400 road fatalities every day (WHO, 2018).

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Workshop on strengthening road safety decision-making in Tirunelveli

Tamil Nadu continues to hold its place as one of the top 5 states for road fatalities (Road Accidents in India, 2020). This is despite the consistent steps since 2017, taken by the state to improve road safety. Institutional changes, data-driven approaches, and improved law enforcement have only borne limited fruit. What then will work? How are countries around the world strengthening road safety? Are there lessons for Tamil Nadu from this?

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Workshop on need for implementing MVAA 2019 and role of media in road safety

CAG in collaboration with Consumer Rights Movement, Salem conducted a regional media workshop in Salem on the 25th of September, 2022. The workshop aimed at underlining the need for implementation of the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act (MVAA) 2019 and sensitizing media reporters to cover road crashes more effectively. The workshop witnessed the participation of over 30 media personnel, inclusive of senior reporters and journalists.

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Child safety on Tamil Nadu's roads: are we doing enough?

Children are perhaps among the most overlooked Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) in our country. This statement is justified by the scary statistics of India witnessing 11,168 child fatalities on roads in 2019, an increase of 12% from the previous year. Regrettably, Tamil Nadu accounted for 10.3% of the total child fatalities in the country amounting to 1153 deaths on roads in 2019.

Workshop on Strengthening Road Safety Decision Making

CAG in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Consumer Protection and Environment Research Centre (TNCPERC), Tiruvarur organised a workshop on ‘Strengthening Road Safety Decision Making’ for members of the District Road Safety Committee (DRSC) on the 18th of July, 2022. The workshop aimed at sharing knowledge of global best practices on road safety emphasising the need for robust road safety legislation, increased penalties to act as deterrents and leveraging the use of technology for improved enforcement. The session was inaugurated by the District Revenue Officer, Mr. P.

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Buckle Up! An assessment of helmet and seatbelt law compliance in Thiruvarur district

More than 50% of vehicle drivers in Thiruvarur district were found not adhering to the helmet and seatbelt laws, says a compliance audit conducted by CAG recently. With Tamil Nadu topping the charts for the highest number of annual road crashes consecutively for the fifth year in 2020, it is important to lookback, learn and redefine our road safety management practices. This study also recommends next steps for proactive enforcement and road safety management in districts of Tamil Nadu.

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Strap Your Safety Gear On! No Excuses Now.

 

A compliance audit conducted by CAG recently in two districts of Tamil Nadu, (i.e. Thiruvarur and Tirunelveli) revealed that more than 50% of vehicle drivers did not comply with the usage of helmets and seatbelts. The compliance levels of pillion riders in two-wheelers and passengers in cars were acutely low. While this finding does not come as a surprise, it certainly creates an increased sense of worry,  given the fact that Tamil Nadu has been registering the highest number of road crashes for five years consecutively until 2020.