Blogs

I have been driving a bike since 2012, and often see two-wheeler accidents. This caused me to look at the data to understand why two-wheeler involvement in accidents was so high, especially as I was two-wheeler rider.

Pedestrians are one of the most vulnerable groups on our roads though walking is most environment-friendly and sustainable mode of transport. Legally, motorists are required to give Right of Way to pedestrians but rarely does a motorist in India do so. CAG spoke a few elderly pedestrians on the travails of walking in India.

The years 2011-2020 have been designated as the Decade of Action for Road Safety by the WHO. This is global acknowledgment of the gravity of road safety issues across the world and the lives being lost to it.

Roads in India are invariably geared towards a small group of users. The needs of people who are old, slow, differently-abled, etc are rarely considered by those who design roads and by those who use them. To mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (Dec 3) we spoke to 2 such people on problems faced in navigating Indian roads. 

Ambulances getting stuck in traffic are a common sight in India. It is upto us as road users to give way to emergency vehicles, such as ambulance, fire engines and police. But how do you do so in a safe manner? Watch the video and share widely! 

Give way to emergency vehicles. Save a life!

Men constitute around 81% of road accident injuries, but we tend to forget that it is not just the victims who are affected. Their families too bear the burden - economically, socially, emotionally. CAG talks to Ganesh and his sister, Sumathi about how a road accident in 2006 changed their lives. 

The other day, at the traffic lights, the “No U Turn” sign, with the red line slashed across the bent arrow, caught my eye. It occurred to me that these signs must be standard across the world. Otherwise, in addition to dealing with each country’s traffic idiosyncrasies, one would also have to learn and unlearn traffic signs. This got me wondering when this standardisation came about and what driving a vehicle must have been like before standards were set and implemented.

Pedestrians are at the bottom of the pecking order of Indian roads. They are a group to be honked at, splashed with dirty rainwater, and given nasty looks for having the temerity to cross the road when there a motorised vehicle within a one-kilometre radius. And of course, pavements for pedestrians are a waste of space. In short, pedestrians should not be allowed to exist.

On July 1, on a rather warm afternoon, over 600 students from several Chennai city colleges assembled on the Marina Beach in Chennai. They had come to participate in public awareness programme on road safety organised by CAG.

In a crowded country like India, where our senses are constantly assaulted by noises, colours and sights, its streets filled with jostling crowds and impatient vehicles competing for space and struggling to get past, it is no surprise that we have learnt to ignore anything extraneous to our own thoughts, needs and plans for the day.