Road Accidents In India Report 2021 Released

Road Accidents In India Report 2021 Released: Road Accidents In India Report provides a comprehensive analysis and overview of road accidents in India. The Road Accidents In India Report 2021, which is divided into ten sections and covers information about road accidents in relation to road length and vehicular population, is based on data collected from state/union territory police departments on a calendar year basis.

Why In News?

• Ministry of Road Transport and Highways recently released “The Road Accidents in India report” for 2021.
• It contains data for the calendar year 2021 on various aspects of road accidents in the country.

Greener Roads, Safer Roads | The Hindu Editorial Analysis for UPSC

What Does The Report Say?

• In 2021, there were 4,12,432 road accidents, which claimed 1,53,972 lives and injured 3,84,448 people.
• In the year 2020, due to the unusual COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and subsequent nationwide lockdown the country saw an unprecedented decrease in accidents, fatalities, and injuries.
• As a result, major accident indicators performed better in 2021 than in 2019.
• Road accidents decreased by 8.1% and injuries decreased by 14.8% when compared to 2019.
• However, fatalities in road accidents increased by 1.9 percent in 2021 compared to the same period in 2019.

Lancet study on Road Accidents

Which Steps Have Been Taken To Prevent Road Accidents?

• “Grant of Financial Assistance for Administering Road Safety Advocacy and Awards for Outstanding Work Done in the Field of Road Safety”: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways implemented a scheme called “Grant of Financial Assistance for Administering Road Safety Advocacy and Awards for Outstanding Work Done in the Field of Road Safety” in this direction. Vehicle engineering advancements play a significant role in implementing effective road safety measures; thus, vehicle crash safety norms have been revised.
• IDTR Centres: To improve drivers competence and capability, MoRTH is establishing model Institutes of Driving Training and Research (IDTR) Centres to strengthen the system of driver licencing and training.
• National Road Safety Policy:  To promote awareness, establish road safety information data base, encourage safer road infrastructure, enforce safety laws etc.
• National Road Safety Council: The apex body to take policy decisions in matters of road safety.
• The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act of 2019: It is expected to bring reforms in a number of areas, including the enforcement of road safety norms and guidelines, citizen facilitation, transparency, and corruption reduction through the use of information technology and the elimination of intermediaries.
• District Road Safety Committee: Committee in each district of the country to promote awareness amongst road users.
• Sundar Committee: The Government constituted Sundar Committee in 2005 to deliberate and make recommendations on creation of a dedicated body on road safety and traffic management.

National Road Safety Board

Multi-Pronged Strategy To Address The Issue Of Road Safety

• Since road accidents are multi-cause, multi-pronged solutions are required through coordinated efforts of all agencies of both the Central and State Governments.
• Ministry of Road Transport & Highways(MoRTH), in collaboration with other organisations and stakeholders, has developed a multi-pronged strategy to address the issue of road safety, which is based on 4 ‘E’s viz. Education, Engineering (both of roads and vehicles), Enforcement, and Emergency Care.
• Road Safety Audit of selected stretches of National Highways has been taken up.
• Tightening of safety standards for vehicles like Seat Belts, anti-lock braking system etc.
• High priority has been accorded to identification and rectification of black spots (accident prone spots) on national highways.

Vehicle Scrappage Policy

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