Expressing concern over the colossal loss of 1.3 million lives in road accidents in the past decade, Members of Parliament cutting across party lines have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealing for urgent introduction of strong road safety legislation in the forthcoming Monsoon Session.
Signatories
The signatories include Shashi Tharoor, Rajeev Satav, Ninong Ering, S.P. Muddahanumegowda and G. Sukhender Reddy (Congress); Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda, R. K. Jena, Balabhadra Majhi and Kulamani Samal (Biju Janata Dal); A. P. Jithender Reddy, B. Narasaiah Goud, Bheemrao B. Patil, K. Prabhakar Reddy, Godam Nagesh and K. Vishweshwar Reddy (Telangana Rashtra Samithi), and Dushyant Singh Chautala (Indian National Lok Dal).
“Dismayed”
Stressing on the political commitment made by the government after the demise of Gopinath Munde in an accident two years ago, Dr. Tharoor said: “This government’s assurances regarding introducing comprehensive road safety legislation remain to be acted upon. As an Indian MP and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, I am dismayed at how poorly we fare on road safety by global standards, which also dents our country’s image worldwide. While many other developing countries, including China, have taken swift action to bring down the number of deaths in road crashes, India still lags behind. I am writing to the PM again to convey the urgent need for a strong road safety law.”
At a time when the government is finding it difficult to build consensus in Parliament on various issues, road safety has emerged as an issue with bipartisan support.
Mr. Panda added: “I signed a letter to the Prime Minister in December as well and a commitment was made by him for swift action. The frequency of road crashes is increasing and the number of daily fatalities now stands at 400, with over 70 per cent of them taking place in the most productive age group of 15 to 44 years.”
Archaic legislation
According to government data, over 16 people are killed each hour in accidents. The annual economic loss suffered by the country due to this issue alone stands at three per cent of our Gross Domestic Product or seven times the Budget of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the nodal agency for ensuring road safety in India.
At present, the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, governs road transport in India. However, the archaic legislation has failed to address the prevailing systemic challenges that make Indian roads one of the most unsafe in the world.
Piyush Tewari, founder and CEO of SaveLIFE Foundation, a road safety advocacy group, said: “Whether the government brings a new road safety law or amends the existing Motor Vehicles Act, it must reform the fractured driver licensing and training systems, modernise enforcement, establish minimum safety standards for engineering of roads and vehicles, and most importantly, protect Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) like pedestrians, cyclists and children, who are completely ignored by the current legislation.”
“Embarrassing”
B. Vinod Kumar, the Deputy Floor Leader for the Telangana Rashtra Samithi in the Lok Sabha, who has also supported the letter, said: “It is embarrassing that India tops the list of road crash fatalities worldwide. The factors contributing to this rise stretch across several sectors, which demonstrate the need for strong legislative measures and a nationwide campaign like the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan to bring cohesion in action.”
