Journals Proceedings

International Journal of Civil & Structural Engineering

Road Traffic Injuries:Independent of Motorization, Rising Population and Expansion of Road Network

Author(s) : B.L. SWAMI , RAJ R.D. KIRORI , SANKLAP SWAMI

Abstract

Developing countries generally consider that rapid motorization, rising population and expansion of road network are also significant contributors, besides other causes, to increased road traffic fatalities and injuries as travel risks are further increased. Over 90 per cent of road traffic fatalities of 1.3 million fatalities in world, occur in low and middle income countries which have 60 per cent of the world’s vehicles whereas 7 per cent fatalities in high income countries having 40 per cent vehicles and 15 percent population of world. Journey through Decade of Action for global road safety aiming 50 percent reduction in road fatalities by year 2020, but most of developing countries are still far from achieving targeted reduction. In contrast, leading road safety nations have successfully demonstrated that road traffic fatalities can be reduced substantially by implementation of safe system approach based structured and well defined road safety management. As a result 17 developed nations brought down road fatalities below 5 persons per 100,000 population whereas developing countries are reporting fatalities much higher than 10 persons per 100,000 population. United Kingdom recorded 7000 road fatalities in 1931 when the country had just 2.3 million motor vehicles and population was 45.89 million. However, as a result of high level political commitment, legislations, institutional arrangements, research, could systematically reduce road fatalities to less than 1800 persons despite 37.2 million motor vehicles and 65.65 million population in year 2016. The paper describes exemplary road safety performance of developed nations which suggest that road fatalities can be drastically reduced by adopting a safe system approach and fatalities are independent of rapid motorization, growing population. The paper also presents global and Indian scenario of road fatalities, motorization and population.

No fo Author(s) : 3
Page(s) : 135-138
Electronic ISSN : 2372-3971
Volume 6 : Issue 2
Views : 282   |   Download(s) : 189