Why Our Roads Kill & What We Should Do

Road design needs science and only consistent enforcement of rules will raise safety awareness

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The tragic death of business leader Cyrus Mistry has once again brought the issue of road crash deaths into the limelight. In India, 426 people lose their lives every day, the highest in the world. Nearly 70% of the victims are in the age group of 18-45 years, the most productive age.

Despite knowing all this, we have not been able to reduce fatalities and we have not enough data on how many injured in road crashes live the rest of their lives in bed. In fact, the burden of road traffic injuries is much more considering the trauma and economic stress that the victims and their family go through for years.

So, what's going wrong? There is enough evidence from across the globe, including India, to show how there are more than just a couple of factors responsible for road crashes beyond speeding, not wearing a seat belt or helmet, and driver fatigue.

Deficient road design and engineering

Engineering, which includes both road infrastructure and vehicles, is the first pillar for making roads safe ever since the talk started around road safety. But not much has happened. The practice of detailed and scientific investigation into the fatal crashes has not been a culture here despite the Motor Vehicle Act mandating. So, when a disease is not diagnosed properly, there is no right treatment to cure it.