January 15th to February 14th, 2024 was observed as the National Road Safety month 2024 by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) organising various campaigns. During this period, Parisar held training sessions for District Road Safety Committees (DRSC) in 8 districts of Maharashtra, namely Nagpur, Chandrapur, Amravati, Buldhana, Jalgaon, Dhule, Nandurbar and Sangli. These trainings were organised jointly by the Transport Commissioner's Office Mumbai and Parisar, Pune. Focused on the "Safe System Approach" to tackle road safety issues, the districts were chosen based on road crash severity data from the report on Maharashtra Road Crash Data 2022, showing the urgent need for action.
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The Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety stresses that both central and state governments share the responsibility of reducing road crash incidents. They urge the formation of DRSCs to oversee and enhance road safety standards. This training is crucial to equip DRSC members with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively promote and implement road safety measures. Ultimately, it aims to reduce the injuries and fatalities due to road crashes on all roads.
Objective of the Training:
- Provide training to District Road Safety Committee (DRSC) members on the Safe System Approach to reduce crashes and mortality rates in the district.
- Empower DRSC members to actively contribute to road safety under the National Road Safety Campaign 2024, ensuring their proficiency in roles and responsibilities.
Outline of the Training:
- Statistics from Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) 2022 report: It provided insights into the current road safety situation.
- Fatalities due to Non-use of Safety Devices: Highlighted the importance of using safety devices like helmets and seat belts to prevent fatalities.
- Helmet Usage and Seat Belt Usage: Emphasised on how helmets and seat belts significantly reduce the risk of death and severe injuries in road crash incidents.
- Safe Systems Approach: Highlighted the need to minimise factors causing road crashes and the importance of preventive measures over reactive ones.
- Safe System Approach Film: A film produced by the New Zealand Police, translated into Marathi was showcased, illustrating the Safe System Approach to road safety. Click to view the film.
- Nitin Gadkari's Statement: Emphasised India's commitment to reducing fatalities due to road crashes by 50% by 2030, advocating for the Safe System Approach.
- Haddon Matrix: An analytical tool to understand different phases and influencing factors of road crashes, emphasising everyone's responsibility in reducing crashes and deaths.
- Enforcement on Key Factors: Emphasised the importance of strict enforcement measures on visible aspects like helmets, seat belts and speed limits, along with combating drink and drive behaviour.
- Good Samaritan Law: Explained the legal protection provided to individuals offering medical assistance to road crash victims, promoting a culture of compassion and prompt medical attention without fear of legal consequences.
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Outcome of the Training:
- 232 DRSC members were successfully trained on Safe System Approach to reduce road crashes and deaths in Nagpur, Chandrapur, Amravati, Buldhana, Jalgaon, Dhule, Nandurbar, Sangli districts.
- Participants were made aware about recent MoRTH statistics, road safety trend, Safe system approach, Haddon matrix, risk factors, importance of on-ground, visible and consistent enforcement roles, responsibilities and challenges faced at district level.
- The role of RTO, Traffic Police, PWD, NHAI, Health department, Municipal Corporation for road safety was clarified. Further emphasis was made on the fact that upon the alignment of consistent efforts across all departments is established, with acceptance of their collaborative efforts and responsibilities, the number of road crashes in the districts will decrease.
Future Directions for Improving Road Safety in Maharashtra, India:
- Behavioural Change vs. Safer System: Shift focus from blaming and punishing drivers to creating a safer road system.
- Data Collection: Gather information on crashes, fatalities, injuries, and serious incidents in the district.
- Strict Implementation: Ensure rigorous enforcement of risk reduction measures such as helmet and seat belt usage, adherence to speed limits, and prevention of drunk driving.
- Regular and Comprehensive Implementation: Implement road safety measures consistently and continuously.
- Balanced Public Awareness: Avoid overemphasis on public awareness campaigns.
- Agency Responsibilities: Clearly assign responsibilities to relevant agencies for effective implementation.
- Regulation of RTO Licensing Process: Regulate the licensing process conducted by Regional Transport Offices (RTOs).
- Police Enforcement: Maintain proactive police enforcement to deter traffic violations.
- Attention to Black Spots: Provide special attention to crash-prone areas or "black spots" by the Public Works Department (PWD), Municipal Corporation, or Municipal Council.
- Improvements in Health Care: Enhance immediate healthcare provision after road crash through improvements in the Health Department's response and awareness dissemination.
- Provision of Road Safety Fund: Ensure the provision and appropriate allocation of funds dedicated to road safety initiatives.
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Observation and Advocacy Points:
- As per the District Road Safety Committee's (DRSC) recent notification, PWD has been designated Member-Secretary. Since PWD has a different mandate and expertise, they are now better oriented to road safety with the training sessions.
- DRSC is expected to hold regular review meetings, analyse/monitor to reduce the number of road crashes in the district.
- DRSC should prepare district-wise plans to reduce the number of road crashes in the district.
- If police and RTO give more emphasis on enforcement than traffic control, the number of crashes will decrease.
- During the workshop, CCTV enforcement, issuing of challan and how it is not proving to be a deterrent were discussed.
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