Traffic Crash Injuries And Disabilities:

Q. Why is this 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.

Q. What are the 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.

Q. What are the 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.

Q. What is the 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%).

Q. What are the 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.

Q. What are the 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.