road safety

As a signatory to the Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety, #India set itself the ambitious target of halving road traffic deaths by 2025. In spite of laudable efforts, the Government of India's 2022 data paints a dismal picture. Road traffic deaths are rising with pedestrians, cyclists, & two-wheeler riders being the most vulnerable groups. It is time that everyone - governments & citizens - reflect on what went wrong & resolve to do better as we go into 2024. 

The Government of India has published road crash data for 2022 and the numbers are staggering - crashes have increased by 11.9% since 2021! These figures highlight the urgent need for road safety measures. Together, let's drive change and work towards safer roads! 

Ensuring the safety of children on the road is the responsibility of adults. Children standing in cars, looking out of sunroofs are becoming common. Think - if you have to brake suddenly, the child will hit herself on the car or get thrown out! An overcrowded auto is more liable to topple causing suffocation and injury to the occupants. Is your child's life worth the risk? Source photo: Auto rickshaw overcrowded with school children by Paul Hamilton used by CC BY-SA 2.0)

Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among those aged 05 - 29 (WHO). Prioritising speed over safety, and designing road infrastructure that favours the strong and able, is why we have arrived here. Today, World Day of Remembrance, is a time to remember those that died on our roads, and promise ourselves to never repeat the mistakes of our past.  Let's break the trend. #WDoR2023 #SafetyAndJustice

This Children’s Day, let’s pledge to make our roads safer for our little ones. Road safety begins with a willingness to obey. Children need to observe parents (in fact all adults) willingly obey road rules, and be considerate motorists. They will, in turn, grow up to be safe road users and better citizens.  Setting good examples is a powerful way to create individual change.

Child Restraint Systems (CRS) and helmets serve as dedicated safeguards for our young passengers. However, a child is safe in these, only if the device is appropriate to her height, weight, and size. Make sure you check and purchase the correct device, look for the ISI mark on helmets, and ensure that helmets / CRS are used consistently and correctly while travelling.

Our bustling cities can also be a safe haven for our kids. But to ensure this, we need to actively plan for their safety. Integrating enforcement, engineering, and technology is one way to do this. ANPR cameras deter rule-breaking; vibrant paths and crosswalks guide children away from traffic; permanent speed-reducing features keep speed in check. Every child matters. No exceptions!

A child's small stature, and still-developing cognitive skills make them the most vulnerable of road users. As roads become busier, and vehicles become faster, our roads become more and more unsafe for them. As adults, let's be mindful of a child's challenges when navigating a road, and accommodate their needs. A child is prone to making errors of judgement - only vigilant motorists can ensure that these do not turn into fatal errors.