good motoring
Speeding up to disaster
In India road conditions are pathetic. A revised speed limit from 90kmph to 100kmph is an invitation to calamities where more than 1,50,000 people die in mishaps every year
H. Kishie Singh

Indian roads are a dangerous cocktail of high-speed cars, run-down vehicles, home-made jugad vehicles like marutas, motorised rehris, unskilled drivers and vulnerable road users like bicycles and pedestrians who account for the largest number of fatalities. This chaotic mix is responsible for more than 1,50,000( one lakh and fifty thousand) deaths on Indian roads — the highest in the world. Lakhs of people are injured or maimed.

India is not alone in facing this problem of road fatalities. Most developing countries, recently entering the motorised age, are facing this problem. It is a problem these countries have never faced so no solution has been available.

The agencies concerned, the WHO, the World Bank, The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) Foundation for the Automobile and Society and the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) have been collaborating on a project over the past six years to help the developing countries in traffic management.

These agencies have come up with a six-point program with a manual on the use of helmets, seat-belts, child-restraint systems, speed, drinking and driving. These manuals are available on the website of the UN Road Safety Collaboration.

In addition, a consortium of partners funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies is working on improving road safety in 10 countries, or RS10. The countries are Brazil, Cambodia, China, Egypt, India, Kenya, Mexico, Russia, Turkey and Vietnam. Sadly, this concern is not shared by our government. Road safety in India is on the back-burner. The decision-makers are, unfortunately, not qualified.

Adding to the confusion that exists on our roads, the speed-limit has been increased from 90kmph to 100kmph. The reason for this is bizarre. The revision, the first in 25 years, is being done considering the improved highways across the country, say experts.

Speed-limits are governed by road conditions. In India road conditions are pathetic. Broken tarmac, flyovers without railings, dogs, cows, bullock-carts, cycle rickshaws, tractor-trolleys share the road with fast cars. In addition, roads are badly designed and these designs are further poorly executed. By no stretch of the imagination have high-ways improved. Conditions have degenerated.

A crash at 100kmph will wreck more havoc than before. In fact, the speed limit should have been lowered. Crashes at lower speed mean lesser fatalities and injuries, less damage to vehicles.

Lower speeds also mean better fuel average. A lesson to be learnt from the Parisians. The Ring Road around Paris is called The Peripherique. As many as 1.3 million cars use this daily. The speed-limit has been reduced from 80kmph to 70kmph. It was not an off-the-cuff decision. The same can't be said for our government. A higher speed will not improve safety. Let the public beware.

Happy Motoring!

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