THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 13 March 2020 (Danger ahead: On India’s road safety record (The Hindu))

Danger ahead: On India’s road safety record (The Hindu)

• Mains Paper 2:Governance 
• Prelims level: Motor Vehicles Act
• Mains level: Highlights the impact of the new Motor Vehicles Act

Context:

• Union Transport Minister has expressed optimism that the significant amendments made to the Motor Vehicles Act have begun reducing the terrible death toll due to accidents on India’s roads. 

CLICK HERE FOR FULL EDITORIAL (Only for Course Members)

Impact of the new Motor Vehicles Act: 

• The reported reduction in crashes, notably in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, proof of the law’s beneficial impact. 
• Any reduction in road safety incidents in a rapidly motorising country is encouraging, but the cold reality is that data on those who lose their lives or are incapacitated do not reflect a marked decline. 
• The policymakers tolerating the loss of about 1.5 lakh lives each year since 2015, with the graph rising from 80,888 fatalities in 2001.
• The new Motor Vehicles law does have more muscle in being able to levy stringent penalties for road rule violations — some States are using it — but that is not the same as saying that India has moved to a scientific road system marked by good engineering, sound enforcement, appropriate technology use and respect for all road users. 
• The World Bank ‘Delivering Road Safety in India’ report is apprehensive that rapid motorisation and more high-speed road infrastructure have raised the risks for road users.
• The transition to a professional road environment requires implementation of first-tier reforms that deal with quality of road infrastructure, facilities for vulnerable users and zero-tolerance enforcement of rules by a trained, professional and empowered machinery. 
• A key mechanism of change are District Road Safety Committees, which were enabled even by the 1988 Act, but remain obscure. 

CLICK HERE FOR FULL EDITORIAL (Only for Course Members)

Way forward: 

• It is essential to make the Collector, local body and police accountable. 
• Making dashboard cameras mandatory, with the video evidence accepted in investigation, would protect rule-abiding motorists and aid enforcement. 
• To save lives on highways, quality trauma care at the district level holds the key. 
• In the absence of good hospitals and cashless free treatment, no significant improvement is possible in the quest to save life and limb.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL EDITORIAL (Only for Course Members)

Online Coaching for UPSC PRE Exam

General Studies Pre. Cum Mains Study Materials

Prelims Questions:

Q.1)With reference to the Women Transforming India (WTI) Awards, consider the following statements:
1. It was organized by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
2. It aims to highlight the commendable and ground-breaking endeavours of India’s women leaders and changemakers. 
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: ........................

CLICK HERE FOR FULL EDITORIAL (Only for Course Members)

Mains Questions:
Q.1) Describe the impact of new motor vehicles act. What the roles district committees can play to ensure better road safety?

v