Road Safety; The need of the hour for India ?

We all are well aware about the most recent accident involving the Volvo XC90 in Bengaluru.

Volvo, a brand well known for its extremely durable and safe cars couldn't survive the fate of a brutal car accident caused due to the rashness of some other person.

There are many more road accidents taking place in India as the one mentioned above which are usually initiated due to the carelessness of one person.

What is the cause of road accidents in India?

We all have encountered or had near-death experiences on the roads of our city or a highway.

These are usually due to rash drivers who just give no regard to road safety rules and are careless while driving.

Most of the road accidents in India are initiated due to rash driving and carelessness.

Even road safety features in a car like ADAS won't be able to predict and take avoiding action against such spontaneous driving. Although, ADAS has helped massively in preventing many road accidents.

Two-wheeler riders are both victims and sometimes the cause of many road accidents due to unpredictable driving and breaking lane discipline.

Why is Road Safety Technology critical in India?

Road safety technology is crucial in India due to the country’s alarming road accident statistics. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), India accounts for over 150,000 road fatalities annually, with an estimated 1.35 million deaths worldwide. In India, road accidents are the leading cause of unnatural deaths, accounting for 3%-5% of the country’s GDP every year.

The inclusion of road safety features can prevent a lot of accidents and can assist drivers in driving carefully and responsibly.

Advanced technologies like Radar-based ADAS, Lane keep assist, automation in cars, etc can be a very helpful tool for the driver to stay more focused and aware of what is going on around in and out of the vehicle.

Some improvements that can be made to reduce road accidents:

• To have a stricter and fool-proof evaluation during the driver's license test.
• Fines levied must be more heavy in order to prevent people from breaking traffic and road safety rules.
• Fast-track courts for victims of road accidents must be promoted for swift justice.
• Following lane discipline rules like a separate fast-vehicle lane and the 1st lane to be allotted for trucks only can prevent accidents on the magnitude of the most recent accident in Bengaluru.
• Law enforcement can be stricter and Indian law can implement some of the laws followed by the Middle Eastern nations, especially UAE and Saudi Arabia.

What can we as drivers do to avoid such accidents?

Always be aware of the surroundings, and make good use of the road safety technology in our vehicles.

More awareness on features like ADAS, Adaptive Cruise control, lane keep assists, etc must be there.

Demand safety technology to be included in all vehicles.

And most importantly, drive responsibly, keeping in mind the safety of others and ourselves.