Why in News?

• 3^rdGlobal Ministerial Conference on Road Safety took place recently in Stockholm (Sweden). The Minister of Road Transport & Highways has represented India at the Conference.
• It is organised by the World Health Organization (WHO) in association with the World Bank and minister-led delegations from more than 80 countries.

Highlights of the Conference:

1. Objectives of the Conference:

• It intends to bring road safety on the global agenda and renew the world community’s commitment to safer roads.
• It also aims to define ways to accelerate action on proven strategies to save lives.

2. Theme of the Conference: ‘Achieving Global Goals 2030’.

3. Stockholm Declaration

• The conference adopted the “Stockholm Declaration” which calls for a new global target for road safety for 2030 and a set of innovative solutions to save lives on the world’s roads.
• It also aims to share successes and lessons from the implementation of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011–2020.
• India has reaffirmed its commitment to the United Nations goal set under the UN Decade of Action of drastically reducing road accidents by the year 2030 during the event.

Road Accidents – The National Scenario:

• Number of Deaths:It kills almost 1.5 lakh people annually in India.
• Severity:The road accident severity (the number of persons killed per 100 accidents) has increased by 0.6% in 2018 compared to 2017.
• Drastic Drop:The accidents, as well as accident-related deaths in the period 2010-2018, dropped drastically compared with the previous decades, despite the very high rate of growth of automobiles.

National Level Initiatives for Road Safety:

1. 4 E’s for Road Safety:

• Ministry of Road Transport & Highways had formulated a multi-pronged strategy based on 4 `E’s – Education, Engineering, Enforcement, Emergency Care.

1. Education: Awareness is generated through various Road Safety Campaigns utilizing audio-visual and other print media and through NGOs.

2. Engineering:The engineering measures are considered essential for adoption to help in improving road safety leading to reduction of accidents.

3. Enforcement:The enforcement of road transport-related rules and regulations (like The Motor Vehicles Act 1988 and Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989) is an important aspect to ensure road safety.

4. Emergency Care:The scheme like National Highway Accident Relief Service Scheme (NHARSS) has been implemented to provide cranes and ambulances to States/UTs/NGOs for relief and rescue measures in the aftermath of Accidents.

2. Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan Committee

• Supreme Court had set up the three-member KS Radhakrishnan panel on road safety in 2014.

3. Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, 2019

• It 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.
• The act also provides for the protection of Good Samaritans.