Road Safety 2023: Raising Road Safety Awareness in India's Young Population

Posted by Akhilesh Srivastava on February 13th, 2023

In today’s world, transportation and the road have become integral parts of our lives. They have minimised the distance but increased the risk of death. Road traffic accidents have risen to the top ten causes of death worldwide. Every year, road accidents result in the loss of lakhs of lives and serious injuries to crores of people in India. According to the Ministry of Road Safety, Transport, and Highways, eighty thousand people are killed in road crashes every year in India, which is 13% of total road fatalities all over the world. Almost 80% of the people who die in these accidents are in the age group of 18–35, which is the young population of India. Raising road safety awareness in the young population helps them to understand the causes of road deaths, develop rational driving skills, and render road safety awareness.

Major Reasons for Road Fatalities in India

Daily road accidents have become the major cause of death in India. Road fatalities can be caused by several factors, including:

Speeding: Over speeding is one of the leading causes of traffic injuries and deaths; in India, 75% of road accidents take place due to over speeding.

Drunk driving: Driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or psychoactive substances increases the risk of road fatalities and accidents that result in serious injuries or death.

Non-use of Seat Belts and Motorcycle Helmets: People demonstrate carelessness while driving by failing to wear seat belts and motorcycle helmets.

Reckless Driving: A lot of youth engage in dangerous driving behaviours while driving, such as running a red light, tailgating, and making sudden lane changes that result in road accidents.

Distracted Driving: Distraction by mobile phones is one of the growing reasons that lead to impaired driving.  Eating or talking with others, are a few other reasons for distracted driving that cause serious road accidents.

Unsafe Road Infrastructure: The designs of roads have a considerable impact on road safety. Poor design of roads, inadequate lighting, and a lack of proper signage contribute a lot to road fatalities.

Unsafe Vehicles: Safe vehicles play an important role in reducing the likelihood of serious injuries and averting crashes. Mechanical problems with vehicles, such as tyre blowouts and brake failures, can cause road fatalities.

Importance of Road Safety Awareness in Youth People

Young people are more likely to engage in risky behaviour while driving that increases the chances of involving in road accidents. Awareness about road safety in young population is important because they are at a crucial stage of their physical and mental development. Road accidents Road safety awareness in young people helps them to develop responsible and safe behaviour while driving, reduces the number of accidents and save lives. Creating a culture of road safety among young population delivers a ripple effect and inspire a wide range of community to adopt road safety behaviour. 

Our Efforts to Promote Driving Skills and Road Safety Awareness in Youth Population

Akhilesh Srivastava, a well-known technology leader, an eloquent speaker, and a bestselling author, is committed to reducing road fatalities in India by 50% by 2025. Recently, he started a road safety course in Pune to educate the youth population about road safety and promote safe driving skills.

A Driving Skills and Road Safety Awareness Course in India is such an innovative way to create road safety awareness in India. Any student can enrol in the course, which was started by the G. H. Raisoni College of Engineering and Management, Pune, in association with the Pune RTO and Driving Schools' Association.

In this course, students will learn about safe roads and roadsides, safe speeds, safe vehicles, and safe road users to eliminate road fatalities. They will learn to use GPS tracking along with analytical data applications like the HUMSAFER mobile app, telematics, and other latest technologies that people have to adopt to make the Indian transport system safer.

Conclusion

Road fatalities can be reduced in India by educating young people about safe driving practices and the dangers of reckless behaviour on the roads. Road safety awareness can help instill good driving habits in young people, which will serve them well throughout their lives. Mr. Akhilesh Srivastava has taken a step towards making Indian youths well aware about road safety and safe driving skills for the first time in India. He believes that because young people understand the importance of road safety, they are more likely to promote these values within their communities, leading to safer roads for everyone.

 Source link: https://medium.com/@akhlisheshsrivastva/road-safety-2023-raising-road-safety-awareness-in-indias-young-population-4fcfad8d542b