When it comes to the topic of safer roads, India is not amongst the top countries that one thinks of immediately. The country with its huge population is also amongst the top countries witnessing the highest number of road accidents and lives lost each year due to road accidents. Financial Express Digital spoke to Piyush Tewari, Founder & CEO, SaveLIFE Foundation who has been on a mission to work with various stakeholders including government to address the issue.
What are your views on the challenges for improving road safety in India?
The biggest challenge with road safety in India is the availability of commensurate resources, both at the infrastructure level as well as the human resources level. There is a significant buy-in for road safety at the seniormost levels. However, when it comes to implementation at the ground level, there is very minimal to no capacity organisationally to take ownership.
Similarly, while high-speed roads are being built across the country, the commensurate safety infrastructure to protect commuters at such high speeds is inadequate, or in some cases, missing.
Do you think all stakeholders are working effectively to reduce road accidents?
The stakeholder involvement in road safety varies from state to state. In some states, there is high interest leading to high investment in things such as nighttime, patrolling, electronic enforcement and read wrestle of road infrastructure issues. In other states, situations may be very different with low interest in implementing nighttime enforcement, limited availability of trauma, care and poor safety infrastructure.
What are the short-, medium- and long-term initiatives that the Indian government should work upon to improve road safety?
There should be clear targets for fatality reduction in the short, medium and long terms with clear accountability fixed. On an immediate basis, it is relatively easy for the government to fix road infrastructure issues that come up in studies and audits.
In the medium term, the government must bring appropriate policies or legislations to mandate standards for road safety across the country.
On a long-term basis, capacity must be built in the system to own the issue and guide States and districts to take action to save lives.
