Lok Sabha Question No. 109 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-20
Subject: Road Accidents
Ministry: ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
Asked by: S. Gnanathiraviam

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 109 ANSWERED ON 20 TH  JULY, 2023

## ROAD ACCIDENTS

## 109.  SHRI GNANATHIRAVIAM S.:

## Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

## सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार्ग मंत्री

be pleased to state:

- (a) whether two lakh people are killed in road accidents each year and five lakh people are severely injured due to road accidents in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the effective measures taken by the Government to control road accidents;
- (c) whether the country is losing around Rs. 750 billion every year due to severe accidents on NHs and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government has found Black spots on the National Highways and if so, the details thereof, State-wise; and
- (e) the measures taken by the Government to check the blind/black spots on NHs along with funds allocated for the said purpose?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

(a) to (e)     As per the data received from police department of all the States/UTs for the year 2021, the total number of road accident fatalities in  the  country  was  153972  and  severely  (Grievously)  injured  persons were 172278. As per report 'Socio -Economic cost of Road Accidents in India' by DIMTS in association with TRIPP -IIT Delhi, the socio-economic costs of road crashes is around 3.14% of Nation's GDP.

Ministry has formulated a multi-pronged strategy to address the issue of road  safety  based  on  Education,  Engineering  (both  of  roads  and vehicles),  Enforcement  and  Emergency  Care.  Accordingly,  various initiatives have been taken by the Ministry as detailed below: -

- (1)        Education:
- i.         To  create effective public awareness about road safety, Ministry undertakes various publicity measures and awareness campaigns through  social  media,  electronic  media  and  print  media.  Further, Ministry  administers  a  scheme  to  provide  financial  assistance  to various agencies towards Road Safety Advocacy.
- ii.      Observance  of  National  Road  Safety  Month/Week  every  year  for spreading awareness and strengthening road safety.
- iii.    A Certification Course for Road Safety Auditor has been mandated for technical officers of all road owning agencies under the Ministry up to the level of Superintending Engineer or equivalent.
- iv.    To impart driving training, Ministry administers a scheme for setting up  of  Institutes  of  Driving  Training  &  Research  (IDTRs),  Regional Driving  Training  Centres  (RDTCs)  and  Driving  Training  Centres (DTCs) at state/district level across the Country.
- (2)    Engineering (both of Roads and vehicles)
7. 2.1.    Road engineering:
- i.        Road  safety  has  been  made  an  integral  part  of  road  design  at planning stage.
- ii.     Road Safety Audit (RSA) of all National Highways (NHs) has been made mandatory through third party auditors/ experts at all stages i.e. design, construction, operation and maintenance etc.
- iii.    High priority is accorded to identification and rectification of black spots /accident spots on NHs.
- iv.      Road Safety Officer (RSO) has been designated at each Regional Office of road owning agencies under the Ministry to look after RSA, blackspot rectification and other road safety related works.
- v.     130 stretches of NH have been identified for developing as Model Safe Roads under the Ministry.
- vi.   85  project  stretches  of  NH  have  been  identified for  developing  as Model Safe Construction Zone under the Ministry.
- vii.    Ministry  administers  the  electronic  Detailed  Accident  Report  (eDAR)  Project to establish a central repository for reporting, management  and  analysis  of  road  accidents  data  across  the Country.
- viii.  Ministry and IRC has issued various codes and guidelines, time to time, to implement various road safety measures so as to minimize accidents on National Highways.
16. 2.2    Vehicle engineering:
- i.      Ministry has notified the mandatory provision of an airbag for the passenger seated on the front seat of a vehicle, next to the driver.
- ii.     Ministry, vide notification dated 15th February, 2022 has prescribed norms related to safety measures for children below four years of age, riding or being carried on a motor cycle. Further, it specifies
19. use of a safety harness, crash helmet and restricts speed to 40kmph.
- iii.    Ministry has notified the mandatory fitment of following listed safety technologies from 01st July 2019.

For M1 category vehicles:

- a. Seat Belt Reminder (SBR) for driver and co-driver.
- b. Manual Override for central locking system
- c. Over speed warning system.

For all M and N category vehicles:

- a. Reverse Parking Alert System
- iv.    Ministry has mandated Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) for certain classes of L [Motor vehicle with less than four wheels and includes a Quadricycle], M [Motor vehicles with at least four wheels used for carrying passengers] and N [Motor vehicles with at least four wheels used for carrying goods which may also carry persons in addition to goods, subject to conditions stipulated in BIS standards] categories.
- v.       Ministry  has  mandated  approval  of  vehicles  for  protection  of occupants in the event of an Offset Frontal Collision, for requirements for behavior of steering mechanism of the vehicle in a Head-on collision, Protection of Occupants in the event of Lateral Collision and for approval of vehicles with regard to protection of pedestrians  and  other  vulnerable  road  users  in  the  event  of  a collision with a motor vehicle.
- vi.   Ministry has mandated speed limiting function/speed limiting device in all transport vehicles, except for two wheelers, three wheelers, quadricycles, fire tenders, ambulances and police vehicles.
- vii.   Ministry has mandated compliance of the fully built buses (with a seating  capacity  of  22  passengers  or  above,  excluding  driver), manufactured on and after 1st April 2019, with the requirements of Fire Detection, Alarm and Suppression system. Further, compliance of type III buses of category M3 and school buses with fire alarm and protection system in occupant compartment has also been mandated from 1 st  October, 2023.
- viii. Ministry has prescribed the format in which vehicle manufacturers issue  the  Road  Worthiness  Certification  for  registering  motor vehicles.
- ix.  Ministry administers a Scheme for setting up one model Inspection & Certification  Centre  in  each  State/UT  with  Central  assistance  for testing the fitness of vehicles through an automated system.
- x.    Ministry vide Notification GSR 652 (E) dt 23 rd  September 2021 and its amendment vide GSR 797 (E) dt  31 st   October  2022  published  the rules for recognition, regulation, and control of Automated Testing Stations.  These  rules  define  the  procedure  for  fitness  testing  of vehicles through automated equipment and the procedure for grant of fitness certificate by ATSs. These rules came into effect on 25 th September 2021.
- xi.   Ministry vide Notification  GSR 653 (E) dt 23 rd  September 2021 and its amendment vide GSR 695 (E) dt 13 th  September 2022 published Vehicle Scrapping  Facility)  Rules,  2021  for  establishment  of  Registered Vehicles Scrapping Facility (RVSF). These rules for RVSF prescribe
10. the Motor Vehicles (Registration and Functions of the procedure for setting up and operation of such facilities.
- xii.    Ministry  has  formulated  the  Vehicle  Scrapping  Policy  based  on incentives/dis-incentives and for creating an ecosystem to phase out older, unfit polluting vehicles.
- (3)        Enforcement:
- i.      The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 as stands implemented provides for strict penalties for ensuring compliance and enhancing deterrence  for  violation  of  traffic  rules  and  strict  enforcement through use of technology.
- ii.      Ministry  has  issued  notification  G.S.R.  575(E)  dated  11th  August, 2021 for Electronic Monitoring and Enforcement of Road Safety. The rules  specify  the  detailed  provisions  for  placement  of  electronic enforcement devices (speed camera, closed-circuit television camera,  speed  gun,  body  wearable  camera,  dashboard  camera, Automatic  Number  Plate  Recognition  (ANPR),  weigh  in  machine (WIM)  and  any  such  other  technology  specified  by  the  State Government).
- (4)        Emergency care:
- i.      Ministry has published rules vide GSR 594(E) dated 29 th  September, 2020  for  the  protection  of  Good  Samaritan,  who  in  good  faith, voluntarily and without expectation of any reward or compensation
17. renders emergency medical or nonmedical care or assistance at the scene of an accident to the victim or transports such victim to the hospital.
- ii.    Ministry vide notification dated 25th February, 2022 has enhanced compensation  of  victims  of  Hit  and  Run  motor  accidents  (from Rs.12,500 to Rs.50,000 for grievous hurt and from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 2,00,000 for death).
- iii.    The National Highways Authority of India has made provisions for ambulances with paramedical staff/Emergency Medical Technician/Nurse at toll plazas on the completed corridor of National Highways.

Annexure

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) to (e) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 109 ANSWERED ON 20 TH  JULY, 2023 ASKED BY SHRI GNANATHIRAVIAM S. REGARDING ROAD ACCIDENTS.

The  States/UTs  wise  number  of  identified  Black  Spot  on  National Highways based upon the data of Year 2016-2018 : -

| Sl. No   | States/UTs        |   Total No. of Black Spots on NHs finalized as per definition |
|----------|-------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh    |                                                           460 |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh |                                                             5 |
| 3        | Chandigarh        |                                                             6 |
| 4        | Goa               |                                                            26 |
| 5        | Gujarat           |                                                           221 |
| 6        | Haryana           |                                                            23 |
| 7        | Himachal Pradesh  |                                                           113 |
| 8        | Manipur           |                                                             5 |
| 9        | Meghalaya         |                                                             1 |
| 10       | Madhya Pradesh    |                                                           229 |
| 11       | Nagaland          |                                                            17 |
| 12       | Punjab            |                                                           281 |
| 13       | Rajasthan         |                                                           315 |
| 14       | Tamil Nadu        |                                                           695 |
| 15       | Uttarakhand       |                                                            49 |
| 16       | West Bengal       |                                                           678 |
| 17       | Bihar             |                                                            66 |
| 18       | Delhi             |                                                            31 |
| 19       | Karnataka         |                                                           530 |
| 20       | J&K               |                                                            57 |
| 21       | Maharashtra       |                                                            25 |
| 22       | Telangana         |                                                           470 |
| 23       | Tripura           |                                                             9 |
| 24       | Jharkhand         |                                                            55 |
| 25       | Chhattisgarh      |                                                           132 |
| 26       | Mizoram           |                                                             1 |
| 27       | Kerala            |                                                           227 |
| 28       | Assam             |                                                            89 |
| 29       | Odisha            |                                                           169 |
| 30       | UP                |                                                           357 |
| 31       | Sikkim            |                                                            10 |
| Total    |                   |                                                          5352 |

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