Pune- Road Safety Network submits recommendations to MHA to mitigate Road Crash Deaths during National Lockdown

Pune, 16 May 2020 . The Road Safety Network, a national coalition of leading road safety experts and organizations from across the country, today shared recommendations with the Home Secretary to ensure safe transit of migrants during the national lockdown. Road Crashes kill around 1,50,000 people every year (400 every day) and despite a steep drop in vehicular traffic, have continued to wreak havoc even during the national lockdown.

So far, 1,176 road crashes with 321 fatalities have been documented since the lockdown with 17 migrant labourers having been killed and 93 injured in the last 24 hours.

“We have submitted a list of 15 recommendations to ensure the safety of migrants traveling on road. The recommendations are aimed at mitigating specific risk factors like speeding, driving while fatigued, overcrowding and the use of inexperienced drivers not familiar with routes” said, Sandeep Gaikwad, Road Safety Coordinator at Parisar.  “Empty roads is leading to over-speeding and rash driving, leading to crashes, so it is essential that the Police continue to enforce road safety laws strictly”, he added.

“While we welcome the decision by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to run special trains and buses for ferrying migrants, students and stranded tourists to their hometowns, we remain concerned about the safety of drivers and passengers on journeys by road”, said the letter addressed to the Union Home Secretary. Media reports indicate that driver fatigue combined with speeding has been responsible for the recent crashes.

In order to assist the Government of India to keep the road-users, especially passengers using the migrant bus services safe during these journeys the Road Safety Network has shared a set of safety protocols with the Government. The measures proposed include temporary lanes for cyclists and pedestrians on highways and urban roads, thorough briefing to bus drivers w.r.t emergency protocols, identifying rest areas where food and water can be provided to travelers, engaging drivers well-trained in long-distance driving and familiar with particular terrains.

In addition to the letter sent by Road Safety Network to MHA, Parisar has separately sent the same letter to The Chief Secretary of Maharashtra Government urging to take an action without waiting for The Central Government to issue any directions. “Since all the agencies to which the directions are issued, are come under the jurisdiction of The State Government, we have therefore, sent a separate letter to The Chief Secretary, urging to issue the directions. We hope that action would be taken at Central and State level.”