Editorial: There are no accidents

The government of Tamil Nadu cannot be faulted for its ambition to achieve infrastructural metrics that would place it in the league of some of the most developed regions in the world.

Earlier this month, the State government notified the Non-Lapsable Road Safety Fund rules with an aim to reduce the number of road accidents.

The aim is to transform Tamil Nadu into an accident-free State by 2030. The government plans to achieve this by the implementation of road safety measures such as road engineering, traffic enforcement, trauma care, and ensuring the dissemination of data pertaining to road safety.

The State will be using the funds towards infrastructure enhancements, remedial measures on accident spots, purchasing of signage and barricades, cones, as well as traffic calming and regulating equipment.

There are plans to conduct studies to identify the causes of road accidents, demarcate accident-prone zones, and recommend remedial measures.

The new rules would replace the TN Road Safety Rules 2000 and were introduced in line with the Supreme Court directive to the State. They will be fuelled by a steady flow of funds collected via fines of traffic violations.

The committee put together by the apex court believed that it was necessary for the fund to have an alternative means of inflow, and not be fully dependent on the budgetary allocation of the State which may vary depending on the financial constraints of the government.

The State capital has the distinction of recording the maximum number of fatalities, vis-a-vis road accidents, pan-India. More than 1,000 lives have been lost while 5,000 plus people have been injured in Chennai just in 2021 due to road accidents.

Tamil Nadu has also recorded the largest number of deaths due to over-speeding 11,419 deaths, which is about 13.1% of the pan-India count.

Over the past few months, the government flew into damage control mode, over the release of these statistics from the NCRB. One measure was to increase the penalties for various common violations such as helmet-less commute, drunk driving, riding triples on two-wheelers.

However, penalties alone might not be the answer to ensuring road safety. Concerns pertaining to urban architecture and design have not been factored in effectively when it comes to the building of roads in Chennai.

Most major cities identify the needs of a growing populace and implement citizen-centric amenities and sustainable solutions in urban planning. But there is a dearth of functional footpaths in Chennai.

Across hundreds of stretches including main roads in suburbs, metro zones and beyond, one would be hard pressed to find footpaths that can be used optimally by pedestrians.

The way the needs of ordinary pedestrians are bulldozed is appalling. Compelling pedestrians to share space with motorists leaves them vulnerable to accidents.

Our shift to greener modes of transport has also taken a hit considering the pitiable number of dedicated cycling lanes on city roads. The build quality of roads in the city leaves so much more to be desired. Almost annually, our roads are laid to waste, thanks to severe bouts of rain. Add to this, the bane of open manholes, uninsulated drains, and boring works for metro rails, and you have a recipe for disaster.

The question of road safety cannot be addressed with short term myopic measures. A complete overhaul of official policy, citizen behaviour and infrastructure will be necessary if we are even remotely serious about achieving the zero accident target.