Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) will be organizing country wide ‘Road Safety Week’ starting from January 11 to create public awareness among public to improve the safety on road.
MoRTH in a statement on Sunday said: “During the week awareness about various causes of road accidents and measures to prevent them will be highlighted by organizing various activities with School /college students, drivers and all other road users”.
During the awareness week, activities like display of banners, road signage and pamphlets related to road safety would be put up, the ministry informed.
Various stakeholders such as different departments of state governments, Traffic Police, vehicle manufacturers, Transporters’ Association, PSUs, corporate will participate in the events during the Road Safety Week, it said.
In India, MoRTH said about 1.4 lakh persons are killed in road mishaps every year while many more get injured and disabled for life.
“Youth in the age group of 15 to 24 years comprise 33% of the total fatalities. The Government is taking active steps for the implementation of National Road Safety Policy by improving the engineering of roads, improving enforcement, improving emergency care and taking up awareness campaigns for citizens”, the ministry stated.
It however said that the efforts of the government alone would not suffice and urged upon all the citizens at large to join hands and make road safety a social movement.
At a global conference on traffic safety in Brasilia in November last year, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said India fully endorsed the Safe System Approach which is being advocated by the United Nations.
“With over 200 million vehicles on our roads and vehicle registration witnessing a rapid increase at the rate of 10 percent annually, our country is faced with serious impacts on road safety levels,” Gadkari said.
The minister said he has asked the government for complete replacement of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 to encompass comprehensive promotion of road safety as well as promotion of the development of an efficient, seamless and integrated multi-mode public transport system.
India is collaborating with International Road Federation, WHO and World Bank who are assisting the country by way of strengthening the capabilities of various institutions, enhancing awareness, improving engineering designs for safer roads, improved trauma care and host of related activities.