He or she may have an impressive rating on the mobile app of your choice, but does your cab or autorickshaw driver possess the basic aptitude to drive you safely to your destination?
A new policy proposed to enhance the safety of road users across various categories in the Capital seeks to ensure not just safer roads but also “Safe Drivers” behind the wheels of commercial vehicles such as cabs, autorickshaws and trucks to address the issue of drivers’ error, one of the obvious, but significant, causes of road accidents in the city.
Public suggestions
If passed in its current form, the draft Delhi Road Safety Policy which, according to a government source was similar to its national counterpart, will ensure that the driver of the cab or autorickshaw which you take is not only behaviourally fit but also possesses the aptitude to be behind the wheels of a commercial vehicle.
Placed in the public domain by the Transport Department for a period of one month to solicit public objections and suggestions in relation to it, the draft policy proposes psychometric analysis — a staple aptitude test that those seeking to drive passenger-carrying vehicles including public transport in the West — in addition to behavioural training for drivers of commercial vehicles.
In addition to designing and enforcing “a comprehensive and standardised driver training curriculum” the policy seeks to include “behavioural education and psychometric analysis” as part of the training curriculum of “all commercial drivers”. It also recommends training them in first-aid.
Noting that the year 2016 saw as many as 7,375 road accidents in Delhi in which 7,175 people were injured and 1,591 lives were lost, the policy envisioned to affect a reduction in road accidents and fatalities by 30% between 2018 and 2020 and a reduction of 80% in such cases between 2018 and 2025. While the draft policy proposes Star Ratings for Delhi’s streets based on safety parameters and reconsideration of existing speed limits on all roads based on experts’ recommendations it also recognises that “national highways and major roads of the city are more accident prone due to heavy movement of commercial as well as other vehicles”.
From seeking to undertake “measures for fatigue management of heavy motor vehicle drivers” who use these highways, the policy also recommends the placement of ambulance on both national and state highways “in every reasonable distance between two identified trauma care units” to aid emergency medical care to victims of road accidents.
The draft policy is available on the Transport Department’s website to solicit objections and suggestions for a month on the notified draft following which necessary changes will be made before it will be sent to the L-G for approval before being enacted.
