The Motor Vehicles Act is a good first step. Now, bring in more reforms
These include infrastructure upgrade, focus on highways and rural India, and improving the police to vehicles ratio
Less than a month after the amended Motor Vehicles Act came into force, voices of dissent are emerging from various quarters across the country. Some states have refused to implement it, others are rolling back the penalties under a modified fee structure. The media is airing people’s grievances against high penalties, but what is annoying the public the most is the special treatment meted out to the VIPs by the police.
Faced with the onslaught from states, the Union transport minister has stated that the purpose of the amended law is to reduce accidents and save human lives, which should be the aim of the states too.
Meanwhile, India continues to lose around 150,000 lives on its roads every year despite its commitment to reduce road accidents and fatalities to 50% by 2020, as per the Sustainable Development Goals of the World Health Orgazination. More than half of those dying are young. Traffic snarls in metros are a usual feature causing undue stress to drivers and commuters. Mofussil India remains untouched from any kind of traffic regulations, with two wheelers, trucks, tractors, jeeps and cycles criss-crossing the countryside, throwing all caution to the wind.
The question, however, still remains — Can the stringent law alone put an end to road fatalities? Raising penalties may help instil fear towards traffic rules but a number of issues need immediate attention to make Indian roads more safe.
First, the enforcement of the new law is, by and large, relevant to the metro cities only. There are 50 one-million-plus cities in India where you have the requisite set-up to enforce the Act — the Traffic Police, municipality, Public Works Department (PWD), among other institutions. A transport ministry Report reveals that in 2017, there were 82,000 accidents with 16,000 fatalities in these cities. It will require a systemic overhaul to reduce these numbers. The population to traffic policemen ratio is too low; municipalities neither have the resource nor the knowhow of traffic management; the PWD is perpetually short of funds for road repairs. Without infrastructural upgradation, and greater road width, there is hardly any scope for traffic regulation.
Even the civic amenities provided remain underutilised. Subways and footbridges lie unused as people stubbornly cling to their old practices, risking lives as it may be. Frequency of casualties can be reduced if the police start imposing fines for jaywalking.
Second, the National Highways remain areas of concern where 30% of accidents and 36% of deaths are taking place. Fatal road accidents are rampant on highways owing to faulty layout or defects in construction like narrow service lanes, ill-planned central verges, sharp curves, or faulty signages. Conditions like poor illumination, unguarded civil work, slippery surface, light reflection from the front, and crowding and encroachment on roads also lead to mishaps. A large fraction of India’s freight is carried on these highways, yet many of them are not designed to withstand the weight and pressure of heavy vehicles.
A different kind of enforcement drive has to be planned on these high-speed corridors where vehicles cannot be routinely checked and penalties imposed. Well-equipped traffic highway patrols are required on these stretches for random checks of alcohol abuse, registration papers, fog-lights. Besides, a national highway in India, without cattle-fencing along both sides, will remain unsafe.
Third, the new Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, will fail to make an impact in rural India, unless a new scheme of traffic education, engineering and enforcement is devised, involving the gram panchayats and zila parishads. It is mofussil India where vehicles pour into the crowd from all directions indifferent to traffic rules; bikers go for a merry ride without helmets; overloaded vehicles unworthy of road travel, ply uninhibitedly; and inebriated truck drivers zip down the highways at a breakneck speed. Traffic cops in minuscule numbers are hapless watchers.
No wonder, rural India accounts for 58% of accidents and 65% deaths. Potholed roads encroached on both sides, bursting at their seams with pedestrians and cyclists, allow little width for vehicle drivers. Imposing heavy fines does not make sense when there is hardly any infrastructure to boast of.
Fourth, laws are effective only when public is made aware of the reasons and benefits behind it through active community participation. Road safety education and driving should feature in school and college curricula. Innovative themes are called for. For instance, on Janmashtami this year, “Rider Krishna”, a unique avatar of Krishna, was designed to enhance public awareness about road safety rules.
Fifth, the poor ratio of traffic police to the number of vehicles, sets an impossible task before the main enforcer of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019. In the capital, 72,000 traffic cops cope with a staggering number of around 7.5 million registered vehicles.
And finally, it is the uniform implementation of the Act across the board which will yield results. Hence it is time to bite the bullet and conform to the enforcement – saving lives at any cost, even at the cost of populism. This goal is attainable only if the chief ministers of various states are driven by the intent to achieve it. Uniform enforcement of the amended Act, after all, is also a reflection of the political will.