National Road Safety Policy

Preamble

The Indian Government has identified that road accidents are a leading cause of death in the country. It has also acknowledged the value of addressing road safety to reduce the number of accidents that lead to injuries and death on the road. This is the joint effort of the State and Central Government. The National Road Safety Policy is an effort for increasing awareness linked with road safety by the government.

Policy Statements

The Government has taken the following steps described below to increase safety on the roads:

Increase Awareness About Issues Associated with Road Safety

The government would intensify its attempts to endorse awareness about road safety on all the linked aspects. This covers the implications of road accidents and the steps that must be taken to lessen the number of incidents on the road. The aim of this is to equip and empower people on the road for them to play a significant role in encouraging awareness linked to road safety.

Begin a Road Safety Information Database

The government would assist with improving the quality of data collection, transmission, analysis, and crash investigation by helping the states, Union Territories and local bodies.

Secure Road Infrastructure

The Government will take the required measures to guarantee better standards concerning the design and safety of urban and rural roads. Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) is supposed to be introduced to ensure the efficient and safe transport system that will be on par with global best practices.

Safer Vehicles

The vehicles on Indian roads will be maintained under the global standards so that the roads are safer and they are less harmful to the environment. The safety features of the vehicles will be thoroughly examined and monitored from design to the distribution of the vehicles.

Safer Drivers

The government will be taking steps to guarantee that only competent and highly capable drivers are driving vehicles on the road to minimize incidents on the road

Safer conditions for Vulnerable Road Users

The requirements of people on the road (which includes the physically challenged drivers and non-motorized transport) will be considered while designing and constructing the road facilities.

Road Traffic Safety Education and Training

Training, Publicity campaigns, and education regarding road safety would be used by the Government as a means to create awareness regarding road safety.

Safety Laws Enforcement

Several state and other governments will be assisted by the Government of India to enforce these laws better. This will make the implementation of safety law effective and uniform. Patrolling on National and State Highways will be increased in frequency as well.

Emergency Medical Aids for Accidents on the Road

Efforts should be made from the government to assure that people involved in accidents on the road get quick and better medical care. The main characteristics of such medical care include adequate rescue operations, administering first aid at the accident site and transporting the injured to the hospital for better care. Moreover, the government will assure that all the hospitals near National Highways/State Highways are equipped for taking care of people injured in road accidents.

HRD and Research for Road Safety

Programmes will be conducted for increasing the awareness of road safety and also, research will be encouraged by the government. This comprises of recognizing priority areas, funding the research process, finding research and academic institutions.

Strengthening Institutional, Legal and Financial Conditions for Road Safety

Implementation Strategy

National Road Safety Board is an agency which is directed by the Government has dedicated for supervising the matters concerning road safety. This board is intended to present strategies which can come under the Road Safety Policy. National Road Safety Fund was also started by the Indian Government to implement these policies efficiently.