New norms for cops reporting accidents

NEW DELHI: Next time there is a road accident, the cop who reaches the spot will not only have to record basic facts such as where and how the incident happened but specific road related details such as surface condition of the road.

In a move aimed at addressing the growing number of road accident cases in the country, the road transport and highways ministry on Tuesday came out with a new road accident recording format to capture the actual circumstances under which an accident had occurred.

Currently, in a majority of road accident cases, the police are frequently unable to find the real cause behind the accident.

“Aspects like engineering defects, road surface conditions, over-loading and condition of vehicles are not considered. The blame is simply put on the drivers,” said Kirti Saxena, senior advisor with the transport research wing under the road ministry. The new format will come into effect soon.

The ministry has also revised the reporting format for accidents. “Under-reporting of accidents, especially where pedestrians are involved is very common now. The system has now been streamlined, which states will have to follow,” said an official.

“The current data shows only 10 % of casualties are pedestrians. However, our study revealed that 50% of victims of road accidents in Delhi are pedestrians while the figure goes to 65 % in Mumbai,” said Geetam Tiwari, an IIT professor, who was a part of an expert panel that recommended the format.