Working Groups on Road Safety set up by Ministry of Road Transport & Highways submitted Report

The five working groups on road safety that were set up by the ministry of road transport & highways have submitted their reports in November 2011. The different working groups constituted on road safety were- education, enforcement, engineering (roads as well as vehicles) and emergency. The groups were constituted following the March 2011 meeting of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) to lay out the macro and micro dimensions with potential solutions to road safety and to suggest short term and long term measures to curb road accidents in the country.

The wide-ranging recommendations contained in the report are meant to be incorporated in the decadal action programme on road safety. The NRSC will finalize the detailed decadal action plan on road safety at the national level which could be replicated by all governments at state and district levels.

Recommendations

The working group on enforcement mentioned that the penalty structure as per Amendment of Motor Vehicles Act 1988 has become redundant and the fines not a deterrence for traffic rule violators.

It suggested increasing the penalties for offences. While revising the penalties for traffic offences, the group mentioned a clause needs to be inserted in the Amendment Act so that every three years there is revision of the fines based on consumer price index. On the topic of overloading of commercial vehicles, the group specified that if a commercial vehicle was found overloaded it would be prosecuted with mandatory criminal case under the provisions of Damage to Public Property Act against the transporter, the consignor and the consignee.

The groups felt the need for digitization of the existing driving licence holders. Measures need to be adopted to ensure when driving licence of a defaulter is suspended he should not be able to get another licence from any other transport authority. 

It was noted that a large number of accidents on roads happen because of many commercial vehicles not being in good condition. It was felt that fitness certificate for commercial vehicles needed to be issued in a routine and there should also be stringent checks of commercial vehicles before fitness certificate is issued to the vehicle. Stringent fitness certificate issuance will ensure enhanced road safety.