Policy to reduce road deaths kicks off
Every fatal road accident in Delhi will have to be scientifically investigated within three months to zero in area specific traffic problems. KAILASH GAHLOT, transport min
NEWDELHI: The Delhi government on Saturday notified the national Capital’s first ever ‘Road Safety Policy’ that mandates agencies to reduce road accidents and fatalities by 10% every year.
Hindustan Times had on April 29 reported that state transport minister Kailash Gahlot had approved the policy, which will require all schools and areas surrounding them to undergo a safety audit for identifying the number of illegal vehicles used to ferry children and the role of school administration in it.
With the policy being notified, its implementation will now begin with the transport department setting up special teams at the state and district levels to conduct scientific accident investigations, using simulation techniques. It will also now be mandatory for officers to undertake training every two years .
“The road safety policy rules that every fatal road accident in Delhi will now have to be scientifically i nvestigated within three months to zero in area-specific traffic problems and road engineering defects that may have caused it,” said transport minister Kailash Gahlot.
The policy states that the police, transport department and road operators will commit to reducing accidents and fatalities by 30% by 2020 and by 80% by 2025. With five deaths per day, Delhi records the highest number of fatal accidents among all cities in India. Roads in the national capital are particularly unsafe for pedestrians, who make up for nearly 43% of all fatalities. The next most vulnerable are those riding two-wheelers, accounting for 36%.
The policy also makes mandatory for road owning agencies and traffic police to digitise the database of all black spots in the city and check their real-time status. The list of such spots along with accident-prone areas will have to be updated every six months on the basis of severity.
The rules under the policy will have to be implemented by the Delhi police, transport department and road- owning agencies.
The government, over the next two years, will enlist experts to conduct a safety audit of all roads including aspects such as signages, road engineering flaws and traffic problems. A road safety index will also be devised so that all arterial and sub- arterial stretches in the city are ranked on safety.