Permitting “unsafe and untested” vehicles like quadricycles for public transport would lead to more accidents, said experts at a road safety seminar held here on Saturday.
Organised by Indians for Road Safety, the panel of speakers at the seminar included experts in the area of road, infrastructure, civil society and judiciary. cycle
Expressing concern over the rising number of fatalities on Indian roads, experts slammed the move of replacing auto rickshaws with quadricycles and said that stringent safety tests must be made mandatory before a vehicle is allowed on the roads.
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Last year, a petition opposing the introduction of these vehicles on city roads was also filed before the Delhi High Court but the court refused to stay the Union government’s notification allowing their operations.
Speakers at the seminar, however, had a different opinion on the subject. Tripurari Ray, Advocate, Supreme Court of India said that the European concept may be for the last mile connectivity but the accident rate and the efficacy of safety measures must be proven in crash tests before they can be on the roads. He added that replacement of allegedly unsafe auto-rickshaws by another unsafe vehicle like quadricycle must not be allowed, as corporate profit is being placed before human lives.
Mr. Ray further accused the government of not conducting a proper study and prescription of adequate safety standards before the introduction of such vehicles. Quadricycles are permitted under the Motor Vehicle law in four wheeler category enabling manufacturers to use materials of their choice, which will be lighter in weight and greater in risk to occupants of a Quadricycle.
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Former Chief Justice of India Justice G.B. Patnaik, one of the speakers, said that some sections of the automobile industry are trying to introduce potentially unsafe vehicles like quadricycles on the premise that anything on four wheels is safer than those that run only on three.