Report on Road Accidents: World Bank | 16 Feb 2021

Why in News

Recently, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways released the World Bank Report titled “Traffic Crash Injuries And Disabilities: The Burden on India Society”.

• The Report has been prepared in collaboration with the NGO-Save Life Foundation.
• The survey data was collected from four Indian states i.e. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.

Key Points

• Global Fatalities due to Road Accidents:
  
  • Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) - Eighth leading cause of death.
  • Road Crash Fatality Rate - Three times higher in low-income countries compared to high-income countries.
• Road Accidents and Related Deaths in India:
  
  • Accounts for 11% of the global death in road accidents, the highest in the world.
  • Accounts for about 4.5 lakh road crashes per annum, in which 1.5 lakh people die.
• Economic Impacts of Road Accidents:
  
  • Estimated Economic Loss - 3.14% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), indicating underreporting phenomenon in the country.
  • Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) Estimates -
    
    • Socio-economic cost of Road Crashes is equivalent to 0.77% of the GDP.
    • 76.2% of people who are killed in road crashes are in their prime working-age, 18-45 years.
• Social Impact:
  
  • Burden on Households:
    
    • At the individual level, road crash injuries and deaths impose a severe financial burden and push entire (non-poor) households into poverty and the already poor into debt.
    • Every road accident death causes depletion of nearly seven months’ household income in poor families, and pushes the kin of victims in a cycle of poverty and debt.
  • Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs):
    
    • VRUs bear a disproportionately large burden of road crashes and account for more than half of all road crash deaths and serious injuries in the country.
    • It is often the poor, especially male road-users of working age, that constitute the category of VRUs.
      
      • Daily wage workers and workers employed as casual labourers in informal activities are more prone to be defined as vulnerable compared to workers engaged in regular activities.
    • In India, where VRUs are forced to share space with other less vulnerable road users, the income level of an individual has a direct bearing on the mode of transport used.
  • Gender Specific Impact:
    
    • Women in the families of victims bore the burden across poor and rich households, often taking up extra work, assuming greater responsibilities, and performing caregiving activities.
      
      • About 50% of women were severely affected by the decline in their household income after a crash.
      • About 40% of women reported a change in their working patterns post-accident, while around 11% reported taking up extra work to deal with the financial crisis.
  • Rural-Urban Divide:
    
    • The income decline for low-income rural households (56%) was the most severe compared to low-income urban (29.5%) and high-income rural households (39.5%).
• Steps Taken at Global Level:
  
  • Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety (2015):
    
    • The declaration was signed at the second Global High-Level Conference on Road Safety held in Brazil. India is a signatory to the Declaration.
    • The countries plan to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 3.6 i.e. to half the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents by 2030.
  • Decade for Road Safety:
    
    • The United Nations (UN) declared 2011-2020 as the decade of action for Road Safety.
  • UN Global Road Safety Week:
    
    • It is celebrated every two years, the fifth edition (held from 6-12 May 2019) highlighted the need for strong leadership for road safety.
  • The International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) :
    
    • It is a registered charity dedicated to saving lives through safer roads.
• Steps Taken by Indian Government
  
  • Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, 2019:
    
    • The Act hikes the penalties for traffic violations, defective vehicles, juvenile driving, etc.
    • It provides for a Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, which would provide compulsory insurance cover to all road users in India for certain types of accidents.
    • It also provides for a National Road Safety Board, to be created by the Central Government through a notification.
    • It also provides for the protection of good samaritans.

Way Forward

• Policy-oriented approaches are needed for saving lives and improving the ability of victims and their families to get back on their feet, including providing immediate financial, medical and legal aid.
• Areas that require immediate improvements include post-crash emergency care and protocols, insurance and compensation systems.
• There is a need for development agencies, policymakers and respective state governments to prioritize a complete policy overhaul of the existing system and implement sustainable solution-oriented, inclusive measures to improve their performance on road safety.

Source:PIB