Road Safety Network appeals to Governments to strengthen road safety to reduce burden on Doctors

Pune, July 1, 2020: On the occasion of the National Doctors’ Day, the Road Safety Network (RSN) acknowledged the yeomen service of healthcare professionals, especially in difficult times as with the current COVID 19 pandemic. The Road Safety Network is a national coalition of road safety experts and organizations promoting safe roads in India through improved governance of the sector.

Doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff are fighting a virus with no known remedy. Road crashes are, however, something we have remedies for, the solutions are known, and these lie in the hands of the Government of India and State Governments.  

“While the Government has rightly taken steps to flatten the curve for COVID-19, ensuring that we bring down road crashes will also help to free up much-needed hospital beds, esp. ICU beds and ventilators” said Ranjit Gadgil, Program Director, Parisar. 

“We feel this is the time to ensure road safety measures are implemented in earnest – not only are people more willing to cooperate because of the pandemic but also enforcement can be carried out while traffic volumes are manageable”, said Sandeep Gaikwad, Advocacy Coordinator, Parisar, Pune.

On 29th and 30th June 2020, RSN met online to discuss the issue of road safety in India, the current situation, and the way forward in reducing road crash fatalities and injuries. What is clear is that as we come out of lockdown, we can expect vehicular traffic to increase and therefore a spike in road crash fatalities and injuries. Our healthcare system does not need this added load. Some straightforward solutions are available that can and must be implemented immediately.

RSN, therefore, called upon the Government of India to:

1. Expedite rule-making with regards to the Central Motor Vehicle Rules. The Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act, 2019 (MVAA 2019) saw several important changes being made and these need to be brought into force. We call upon the Government of India to draft the required Rules and involve civil society organisations working on road safety in this process.
2. Bring the amended Section 129 of the Motor Vehicles Act 2019 into force immediately, so that any and all exemptions for helmet use as provided by any of the states are voided. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ (MoRTH) report, Road Accidents in India, 2018 notes that 29% of road crash fatalities were linked to two-wheeler riders not wearing a helmet.

It also called upon the Government of Maharashtra to:

1. Issue notification of compoundable offences under Section 200 of the Amended Motor Vehicles Act. It has been 10 months since Motor Vehicles Amendment Act was passed by The Parliament. MoRTH’s report, Road Accidents in India, 2018 notes that 12,565 fatalities in Maharashtra were recorded. The notification will strengthen enforcement efforts. 
2. Develop road safety protocols for all kinds of transport modes as the state comes out of lockdown. This would include strategies to mitigate speeding, put in place Standard Operating Procedures for bus drivers, and improve infrastructure for walk and cycle.