By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun/New Delhi, 4 Nov: International Road Federation (IRF), the Geneva based global body working for better and safer roads worldwide has expressed deep concern at the major bus accident in Almora district with high death toll and has stressed on the need for installation of crash barriers, separate tough driving licence for hill drivers and stricter fitness and overloading norms for vehicles.
“The hill roads in the country are prone to regular road accidents. A lot needs to be done to ensure road safety, especially in higher areas in the states of Uttarakhand, Himachal, Jammu and Kashmir, and North-East states in the country. The government should plan to incorporate the latest technologies and safety features, including installation of soil and slope stabilisation and roadside safety in the hilly terrain infrastructure, crash barriers, intelligent traffic plans, rumble strips, use of speed governors and proper signage,” said KK Kapila, President Emeritus, International Road Federation (IRF), while expressing concern today.
“Installation of crash barriers, special separate tough driving licence for hill drivers, use of vehicle tracking system, tough vehicle fitness norms and certification, and development of safety code for hills should also be adhered to make road travel safe and sustainable in the hills,” he added.
“The intent to install crash barriers and parapets on most of the hill roads in Uttarakhand, including Chard Dham Yatra route, to curb accidents and make the hill roads safer is welcome. Road crash barrier systems are used worldwide on highways, especially on hill roads, to physically prevent vehicles from running off the roadway or falling down a steep slope and protect vehicle hitting a roadside object. Similar crash barriers should be installed in all hill roads,” added Biju Muthu, CEO, India Chapter of International Road Federation.
“At present, most of the hill roads in the country have been constructed around hill slopes, which remain cut off during heavy rains due to landslides. Construction of well-engineered safe tunnels and long bridges will help in movement of traffic round the year. The Ministry of Road and State PWD’s should focus on engineering safe roads rather than more roads as rectifying faulty designed roads with black spots is more expensive than building safe roads. Similarly, the stress should also be on safe vehicles with higher visibility features, including ABS brakes, reflective tapes on commercial vehicles and mandatory fog lamps on all vehicles,” stated Kapila.
“India accounts for highest number of road accident deaths and accounts for more than 11 per cent of global road accident deaths. During the year 2023, about 1.55 lakh people died in road accidents in the country. As a signatory to The UN Decade of Action Plan, reiterated in Brasilia, India is committed to reducing the number of road accidents and fatalities by half by the year 2025,” reminded Kapila.
