Road safety: Govt to ask states to audit highways

Centre targets 3,000 km of roads to be covered under the audit

Concerned over increasing accidents, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will ask state governments to undertake road safety audits of state highways and district roadways.

In the current year, the ministry is targeting 3,000 km to be covered under the audit, said Sanjay Mitra, secretary, road, transport and highways. “We are concerned about rising number of accidents. Road safety audit guidelines are being followed in the current NHAI projects. We are also planning to engage state governments to undertake safety audits of state highways and district roads,” Mitra said, addressing a seminar on “Road Safety — Time for Action”.

“A road safety audit is an evaluation of a highway improvement scheme during design, at the end of construction and post-construction, to identify road safety problems and to suggest measures to eliminate or mitigate any concerns. Road safety audits are undertaken by teams of specialists trained in the skills of road safety engineering. All strategic road schemes and the majority of new works are required to have an independent Road safety audit t o take corrective measures to reduce accidents...,” he said. 

India has the dubious distinction of highest number of accidents in the world. “With 80% of all road deaths worldwide estimated in low-income countries, India leads the world in road accident deaths, with around 1,38,000 people being killed each year. India accounts for 10% of global road accident deaths. Safer roads and mobility is one of the five pillars of the UN Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020,” said K K Kapila, chairman, International Road Federation (IRF).

As part of the road safety week, the IRF India Chapter along with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has jointly organised two seminars on the theme “Road Safety — Time for Action” for today and tomorrow. 

“Some of the initiatives for safer mobility to be discussed will include identifying  hazardous road locations (black spots) or sections where excessive numbers or severity of crashes occur and take corrective measures accordingly. This will be done through use of intelligent transport system, new Motor Vehicle Act, licensing regime and promoting development of safe new infrastructure that meets the mobility and access needs through use of independent road safety audit findings in the design and other phases of new road projects."