A new Road Accident Data Recording and Reporting Format has been rolled out by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) as part of the aim to move closer towards an accurate, consistent and objective road accident database.
Besides, the comprehensive recording and reporting format, to be executed by all States and Union Territories, is also aimed at bringing out the underlying real cause of the road accident so that stakeholders can take corrective and preventive steps.
The recording format, to be filled in by the police at the site of the road accident, has five sections specifically to record primary data on road accidents (and not to replace the FIR), capturing the actual circumstances of the accident. The five sections include Accident identification details, road related details, vehicles involved in accident, drivers details and persons other than drivers involved in accident.
A committee, including experts from the IIT-Delhi, IIT-Khargapur, senior officers from Police and Transport Departments of States, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, WHO and officers of MoRTH drafted the uniform recording format, which has been accepted by the Ministry. Official sources told The Hindu that the Chief Secretary and the State Police Chief has been asked to take steps to furnish the road accident details in the new format from this calendar year.
As many as 55 indices, including weather condition, GPS location, surface condition of road, road type, speed limit, visibility at the time of the accident, physical divider, ongoing road works, road features, road junction, type of traffic control, pedestrian involved, load condition of the vehicle, age of the vehicle, drivers details, impacting vehicle and use of safety device has been incorporated in the new recording form.
The 17 forms consisting of the format will have to be filled by deriving and aggregating the primary data. The individual recording formats are to be aggregated at the State Police Headquarters level and has to be forwarded to the Transport Research Wing of the MoRTH at the end of the calendar year.
B.G. Sreedevi , Director of National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (Natpac), said the new format was need of the hour in the wake of mounting road fatalities. It will help in finding out real cause, help thorough investigation and to implement road safety measures in accident sites. The Natpac had recently devised one page format for the State police.
