India may miss the 2030 target of halving road deaths

World Pedestrian Day, observed on August 17, marks the anniversary of the first recorded vehicle-related pedestrian death in 1897. Over 130 years later, pedestrians and cyclists remain at high risk in many countries. 

Target 3.6 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aims to halve the number of global road deaths and injuries by 2030, using 2016 as the baseline year. Globally, there has been a slight reduction in road accident deaths since 2016, despite the doubling of the global motor vehicle fleet.

In India, 1,50,785 deaths were reported in 2016, according to the ‘Road Accidents in India-2016 report published by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. In 2022, the deaths increased to 1,68,491. This marks an increase of 9.4 per cent in fatalities compared to the previous year, with increased severity.

Pedestrians are particularly vulnerable to road accidents. In 2022, 32,825 pedestrians died, a 12.7 per cent increase compared to 2021 and a 108 per cent increase compared to 2016, when 15,746 deaths were recorded. Nearly 40 per cent of fatalities in metros involve pedestrians, with Delhi ranking first, having lost 629 pedestrians on its roads. 

As per the 2022 report, speeding remained the leading cause, accounting for 72.3 per cent of all accidents. Additionally, 16,715 people died due to not wearing seat belts, and 50,029 two-wheeler riders lost their lives because they were not wearing helmets.

The Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act 2019 aimed to deter serious road traffic violations by significantly increasing penalties. Initially, the Act instilled fear among road users, but this was short-lived. Political considerations hindered its implementation in many states. Some state governments delayed its notification, reduced enhanced penalties, or offered rebates to violators, fearing backlash ahead of elections.

Due to weak enforcement, drivers feel they can get away after committing serious violations. This has led to a culture of non-compliance. 

Between 2020 and 2023 (until March), challans raised for traffic offences were Rs 3,793 crore. However, out of this, the revenue collected was only Rs 269 crore, a mere 7.1 per cent.

In 2022, Rs 729 crore was pending from speed violators, with Delhi having the maximum due of Rs 550 crore. Total pending penalty fees in Karnataka were around Rs 530 crore, of which Rs 500 crore was due to come from the capital city of Bengaluru. However, it is of great concern that in February last year, the Karnataka government decided to offer a 50 per cent discount to the violators of pending traffic fines in a one-time settlement. 

A few state governments have been implementing measures such as fast-track courts and automatic number plate recognition systems to reduce the backlog of fees and ensure timely enforcement. 

Through some stringent measures, between January and October 2023, Mumbai Traffic Police recovered Rs 205 crore in pending fines. The Delhi Transport Department has decided that those who evade traffic fines with more than five pending challans will not be able to go online to avail of any services through the government’s portal. These types of campaigns and measures need to be replicated in other cities and states to ensure compliance, instead of offering discounts. 

In most states, the Road Safety Cell at the Department of Transport is the lead cell for road safety. However, this cell lacks the statutory powers to ensure better coordination between various departments and agencies. 

This points to the need for a single agency for coordination and managing all affairs related to road safety, a State Road Safety Authority, for effective implementation of the Motor Vehicles Act, to deal with all matters pertaining to road safety. As of now, only Kerala, Karnataka, and Gujarat States have such authorities. 

Similar to the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030, with a target to reduce road deaths and injuries by 50 pere cent by 2030 at the global level, India needs to have an ‘India Plan of Action on Road Safety 2025–2030’ to achieve the target by 2030, involving the states, with year-by-year targets, indicators, and milestones, and rigorous monitoring of the progress and corrective action.  

Until India has a plan of action on road safety and its time-bound implementation, along with strong political will and commitment, achieving the ambitious target of halving road fatalities by 2030 appears to be a distant dream.

(The writer is a road safety expert)