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Passage II
Contrary to a common misconception, we need to fear road accidents far more than terrorist bombs. Records show that 137423 people died in 2013 from accidents on Indian roads, the single biggest cause of accidental death by a long margin. It’s welcome, therefore, that the centre is reportedly thinking about introducing enhanced safety standards for cars. These should be made mandatory as soon as possible, so that Indian auto safety standards are in line with international norms. Such a move will encounter resistance from auto-makers. But if they can export cars which meet enhanced safety standards, why can’t they do the same for the domestic market? The additional expense this might entail is well worth it. Road accidents are not just devastating in terms of fatalities. The economic cost imposed on survivors and society is prohibitive.
According to WHO, about 3% of GDP is lost on account of road traffic crashes. To put this in perspective, it is far more than India’s defence spending or food subsidy. Therefore, enhancing costs a bit to add on safety features that mitigate the incidence of fatalities is the right way to proceed. However, improving India’s record of road safety is not merely a question of adding safety features to cars. It requires a far bigger change. Our mental approach to safety needs to change. A look at the globe suggests that low income countries bear a disproportionate share of fatalities from road accidents. However, wealth is not what determines how many people die on roads. Japan and the US, two wealthy countries, have very different records. Japan has 5.2 road fatalities for every 1 lakh of people. A slightly wealthier US has more than two times Japan’s fatality rate at 11.4. Japan shows how much it cares when its enforcement of preventing drunken driving- a frequent cause of accidents- is significantly better than India even though both countries have the same legal standard for blood alcohol concentration.
Enforcement needs to be complemented by other institutional changes, including better designed road features that make safety the primary objective. Road safety is a paramount public health issue and needs to be taken seriously. Thousands of road fatalities in India are preventable. Curbing them is as important as keeping India clean and probably easier to achieve. The fact remains that we have not taken road safety with due seriousness that this issue deserves. There is no dearth of technical knowhow in our country, which can be gainfully utilised to advice and also tackle this grave issue. What we lack is the political will in our country. All said and done, the safety of the people should be considered on priority in our country.
Contrary to a common misconception, we need to fear road accidents far more than terrorist bombs. Records show that 137423 people died in 2013 from accidents on Indian roads, the single biggest cause of accidental death by a long margin. It’s welcome, therefore, that the centre is reportedly thinking about introducing enhanced safety standards for cars. These should be made mandatory as soon as possible, so that Indian auto safety standards are in line with international norms. Such a move will encounter resistance from auto-makers. But if they can export cars which meet enhanced safety standards, why can’t they do the same for the domestic market? The additional expense this might entail is well worth it. Road accidents are not just devastating in terms of fatalities. The economic cost imposed on survivors and society is prohibitive.
According to WHO, about 3% of GDP is lost on account of road traffic crashes. To put this in perspective, it is far more than India’s defence spending or food subsidy. Therefore, enhancing costs a bit to add on safety features that mitigate the incidence of fatalities is the right way to proceed. However, improving India’s record of road safety is not merely a question of adding safety features to cars. It requires a far bigger change. Our mental approach to safety needs to change. A look at the globe suggests that low income countries bear a disproportionate share of fatalities from road accidents. However, wealth is not what determines how many people die on roads. Japan and the US, two wealthy countries, have very different records. Japan has 5.2 road fatalities for every 1 lakh of people. A slightly wealthier US has more than two times Japan’s fatality rate at 11.4. Japan shows how much it cares when its enforcement of preventing drunken driving- a frequent cause of accidents- is significantly better than India even though both countries have the same legal standard for blood alcohol concentration.
Enforcement needs to be complemented by other institutional changes, including better designed road features that make safety the primary objective. Road safety is a paramount public health issue and needs to be taken seriously. Thousands of road fatalities in India are preventable. Curbing them is as important as keeping India clean and probably easier to achieve. The fact remains that we have not taken road safety with due seriousness that this issue deserves. There is no dearth of technical knowhow in our country, which can be gainfully utilised to advice and also tackle this grave issue. What we lack is the political will in our country. All said and done, the safety of the people should be considered on priority in our country.
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