Discussion on Road Safety in India

[Auto Hub India]

I am inaugurating this Forum with this thread.Hope it will be useful to all.


Hurdles in Road Safety:-
There are many hurdles in the path to implement Road Safety safely.
These are listed below:
Negligence of Civilians: Civilians, the main victim, who make a huge hue and cry about the issue are responsible for lagging behind in the safety measures as these people on the first hand do not follow the already devised rules. One can easily spot people jumping traffic lights, driving while drunk, driving recklessly at super sonic speeds. Wearing seat belts is assumed as if they have been tied with the car seats. There is a need to understand that with such a vast population, it is the civil society on the first hand that has to play a crucial role in achieving success in this area.
Pathetic Condition of roads: Poor infrastructure has lead to poor road designs. Roads are built without keeping their functionality in mind. The areas adjoining the new roads are made vacant to built broad roads, only to find that they get swarmed with traffic rush in no time. Roads should be made with proper planning keeping in mind their future utility, as vehicle population also grows with time.
Unsafe Vehicle Design: Vehicles designed for Indian roads are not up to the International Standards. Safety norms are not even close to international level. Even if some luxury cars have them, they run the pockets dry. There is a need to look for viable solution in this respect.
Lack of Laws : No Proper laws have been devised and those devised are not meant and dealt properly. Just drive as you like and if you happen to kill someone, just grease a few palms and walk into the sunset. Such is the height of corruption in India.
Lack of Emergency Services: Roads lack any facility for emergency services. In case of an accident there is no provision for first aid treatment near the intersections. Victims have to cost their lives as doctors and hospitals are usually not nearby.

Steps needed to be taken:-

We have to be needed following steps towards the road safety, for avoid the road accidents and improve our mistake. Make a personal commitment to improve road safety by adopting more courteous and considerate road behavior and demonstrating care for the safety of others.
1.Development and implementation of effective road safety policies
2. Funds for road safety programs.
3. Ensure that planning of local facilities and residential areas effectively takes account of the road safety needs of the community.
4. Make a formal commitment to promote effective road safety education in schools and pre-schools so that appropriate behaviour is fostered from early age.
5. Assist in the life-long education of road users
6. Improve the safety performance of the road network by ensuring that planning, design, construction and maintenance places a high priority on safety outcomes.
7. Promote road safety amongst their memberships by providing up-to-date and relevant information on traffic laws, safe driver behaviour and techniques, road conditions, maintenance procedures and vehicle safety.
8. Adopt effective and safe traffic management measures in planning transport and land-use developments.


Avoid Drunken Driving:-

Alcohol has been successful in making a distinct niche in daily lives of humans since the centuries of the recorded history. Alcohol has been found to play a major role in social ills in almost all countries across the world, but foremost amongst the ills produced by alcohol is its role in traffic crashes.
Alcohol and driving don't mix, but still, many people love to drink and drive resulting in numerous road mishaps. Drunken driving has been recognized as a world menace, based on the stats which reveal that road accidents cause 1.2 million deaths and 50 million injuries around the world each year. Some 480,000 of these deaths and 20 million of people get injured by drunken driving.
The role of Alcohol in traffic safety has produced more controversies than any other topic. After drinking, the judgment power of the driver gets impaired - a threat to road safety. Due to its effects, driver tends to take more risks, becomes more aggressive and takes a longer reaction time. It has been well established that the relative probability of causing crash increases with the rising blood alcohol levels keeping road safety at stake.
In India, drunken driving is customary in commercial vehicle drivers. Private car owners and youngsters are also major players in the game. Small bars along the Indian highways are of prime concern to control drunken driving. To make the matter worse the gamble of destiny is that Indian traffic officials are not well equipped with the necessary equipments required to introduce checks on driving in India. India has laws to check the drunken driving but its effective implementation is still to be worked upon.
A drunken driver is a potential murderer as he cannot perform his tasks without risks and endangers road safety. Drunken driving an illegal act should be governed by stern laws which entail not only levying hefty fines or revocation of license, but also prosecution, same as a criminal offense. Usually, driver escape from the scene as the public gets involved in getting the injured hospitalized rather than snitch the drunken driver and teaching him a lesson.
But, contrary to the practice, if we make a commitment to report the incidence to the officials concerned and take a stand against drunk driving, then we may get successful in curbing the menace which has been since centuries a major contributor to the traffic deaths in every, but, the co-relation between alcohol and road safety still remains a matter of more research.


Road Safety Initiatives:-


Roads and vehicles are an everyday part of life for all of us. Either as a driver, a passenger, or as a pedestrian, we all must negotiate the road traffic environment on a daily basis.
We are especially vulnerable around vehicles and roads due to their size and capabilities. Be aware of the opportunities for people to become safer road-users. Walk down to the local shop for milk or the newspaper with your children on Sunday morning. Park the car and walk around to the sports ground, on the way explaining the observations and choices you make to get there safely. Talk about the importance of wearing seat belts and insist that everyone in the vehicle wears appropriate restraints. Point out rules of the road when driving. Always demonstrate responsible and safe behaviours when driving, or when a passenger and while walking anywhere around vehicles and roads.
Along with the benefits of road use, there are also challenges that we need to be aware of. Important Schemes administered by Road Safety are:
1. Publicity Programs
2. Grants-in-aid to Voluntary Organizations for organizing road safety programs
3. National Highway Accident Relief Service Scheme
4. Refresher Training to Heavy Vehicle Drivers in Unorganized Sector
5. Setting up of Model Driving Training school

Traffic Rules:-

India is a vast country. A gigantic grid of roads connects most cities and towns. The Indian traffic rules go a long way to ensure traffic safety in India. The Indian roads are forever filled with traffic jams, thanks to ever increasing demand and supply of cars and other vehicles. Hence, following the traffic rules in India are necessary for your own security and well-being. Read on further to know about certain traffic rules of India.
a.Don't use your mobile phone whilst driving
b. Belt up in the back
c. Don't drink and drive
d. Always adhere to speed limits
f.Take special care about children, senior citizens and pedestrians.
g. Don't drive if tired.
h. Pedestrians should walk cautiously.
i. Always observe and anticipate other road users.
j. India follows left hand side driving. So be careful and look both ways while crossing the road.Do not drive if you cannot adapt to the left hand side driving.


Source:- Road Safety Rules

 

[Auto Hub India]

Traffic Police:-


Traffic Police help us by many ways they help in traffic management and for observance of traffic rules. For enforcement, regular checking of the vehicles is done and the defaulters challaned for Traffic Violations. Regular camps are also organized for pollution checking of the vehicles as also for eye testing for vision and colour blindness. Special drives against violation of route permit, over-speeding, over loading, dangerous driving, drunken driving, use of multiple horn, obstructive parking, driving two wheeler without helmet etc are also frequently conducted.
They provide us Safe and smooth flow of traffic , To effectively enforce traffic rules and regulations , Inculcate road safety awareness through education.









General Information about driving:-


Avoid High Speeds - When driving on the motorway try and stick to 70mph. Avoiding high speeds on motorways and A-roads can save a lot of petrol. Around 50% of the power produced by the engine is used to overcome aerodynamic drag. Drag increases rapidly above 70mph so you fuel consumption will suffer.
Smooth Driving - Acceleration and deceleration is what uses most fuel. For this reason you will improve your fuel consumption with smooth driving, Also avoid heavy acceleration from the lights and try not to rev too much.
Don't Coast In Neutral - Modern cars automatically shut off fuel to the engine if you're not accelerating, but in neutral the engine will still use a tiny amount of petrol, so when cruising up to the lights keep the car in gear.
Close Your Window - If you are driving fast then don't have your windows open unless necessary. Having the windows open causes significant drag which increases fuel consumption.






Road Trip Tips:-

Accidents can happen any time, any place and anywhere. Prevention may be the best offense, but that doesn’t count a ready defense. Developing a safety plan – and being ready to use it — can make a difference whether you’re faced with a minor fender bender or a destructive storm.
Here are some road safety tips for walking .
a. Use supervised or controlled crossing points such as pedestrian crossings and traffic lights, wherever possible.
b. At pedestrian crossings, wait until all traffic has stopped before crossing the road. It’s a good idea to make eye contact with the car drivers before you step off the pavement.
c. If there is no formal crossing point, make sure you cross away from buses, parked cars and corners so that motorists can easily see you.
d. Keep one step back from the kerb before you cross.
e. Look and listen for traffic in all directions. If there is traffic coming, wait until it has passed. Look and listen for traffic again. When there is no traffic coming walk quickly straight across the road, looking each way for traffic.

Source:- Road Safety Rules

 

[RSM]

As always, great post AHI.

4. Refresher Training to Heavy Vehicle Drivers in Unorganized Sector

Also for city cab drivers, this course should be made madetory.

 

[Auto Hub India]

As always, great post AHI.



Also for city cab drivers, this course should be made madetory.

Thanks RSM.

Yes I also agree with you,Cabs are a big threat to our vehicles

 

[vroom]

Adding 2 more:

1. Illegal parking on roadsides
2. Major encroachment of footpaths by hawkers

These two, I have found to be major irritants.

Cheers,
Vroom

 

[Auto Hub India]

Great Adds Vroom, I appreciate.

All TAINZ are welcome to give similar valuable inputs.

 

[RSM]

Driving in Heavy Rain

We should be extra cautious driving in rain because of bad visibility. One more thing is we should avoid splashing waters to pedestrians.
I heard, If visibility becomes a problem due to heavy rainfall, rubbing tobacco on the windscreen works nicely.

 

[Auto Hub India]

Well I dont know about tobacco but rubbing of cut potato helps alot.

@RSM:- I agree with you-- "One more thing is we should avoid splashing waters to pedestrians."

 

[RSM]

Cell Cease: New cellphone app to reduce accidents!



The cellphone app industry in probably one of the fastest growing markets this side of the 21st century. One new addition to the ever increasing list of such apps is 'Cell Cease' - a program that promises to reduce the probability of accidents in a unique way! The application uses the cell phone's inbuilt GPS receiver to judge whether the cell phone is in constant motion or not. If it detects a motion of over 5 mph (approximately 8 km/h), the app disables all the common functionality that kids general tend to use behind the wheel - texting, calling etc. thus making it imperative for the driver to focus on the road. As per the information we have, it doesn't disable the music player in the phone.



However, the catch is, the app has no way to find out whether the possessor of the phone is in the driver's seat or the passenger's. Furthermore, it can’t even figure out if you are in a car at all, so forget taking calls or texting away to glory while being in a bus, train, rickshaw or even cycle-rickshaw for that matter! And while the app is targeted mainly towards the youth, we wonder why it only supports Windows Mobile then? From what we see every Saturday evening, it’s the iPhones, Nokias and Sonys that these youngsters generally flash! Nevertheless, we appreciate their contribution towards a safer society...

motoroids

 

[cooldhaya]

I don think it is very practical! Like mentioned then we will not be able to use mobile phones while on the move which spoils its main purpose!

 

[RSM]

In my view, inside city, where normally street lights are present, the use of car headlamp should be banned. Instead Fog Lamp can be made neccessary for all cars and that can be used instead, in night.
This is because i feel inside city people do drive in highbeam, specially drivers. Difficult to stop them.

Actually, i remember, long back in Bangalore, one main street was made like this. There only parking light was allowed. All street lamp was always up. But it was not successful. I think people need some more light than parking light. Thats why i suggested Fog Light. That much light is sufficient.

 

[cooldhaya]

Innovative but difficult to implement! Many of the cars don come with fog lamps and moreover its difficult to keep a watch over all the vehicles!!

 

[RSM]

Yes currently so many cars doesn't have fog lamps, but its very easy to make it mandatory. It will just cost 1-2K.
And initially it will be difficult, but our traffic police knows very well how to do that, just put fine.

 

[350Z]

This is a good idea but unluckily it won’t be so easy to implement. Firstly Govt. will have to make compulsory for Indian auto-makers to sell cars installed with fog lamps, Then inform those corrupt cops etc which translates into a long process. It’ll be rather much sensible to make basic safety features mandatory in cars and strictly prohibit the use of High beams in city because the actual purpose of high beams are meant is for highways, which most people here fail to understand. Check this thread for more: http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...sense/1036-do-you-drive-high-beams-night.html

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[Auto Hub India]

Addition to road rules:-

For goods carriers which carry stuffs longer than their body length and the stuffs hang out of the vehicle body from rear:-

Whenever any goods carriage vehicle, either truck,van or any three wheeler carry long stuffs like sheets,rods etc whose lengths are bigger than the vehicle length and hang outside the body from rear, a RED CLOTH should be tied at the hanging end of the stuff so that the drivers who are driving behind should notice the end of the stuff,which is getting out of the vehicle's body and determine the exact distance between their vehicle and the hanging stuff's end.It will reduce fatal accidents in case of sudden brakings in traffic.