Pass the Motors Vehicles Bill to improve safety on roads
India has the dubious distinction of leading the world when it comes to road accidents and fatalities. The figures show that over 1.5 lakh lost their lives in road accidents in 2016; it is estimated that as many as 17 persons perish every hour on the roads across the nation. The way forward is proactive policy, oversight and legislation to urgently reduce accidents and purposefully improve road safety standards.
The Motor Vehicles Bill, 2016 does seek to address road safety in various ways and the Lok Sabha has already approved the draft law, but the Rajya Sabha is yet to have it passed. The data suggest that most road accidents and loss of life is due to driver negligence, although badly designed roads are also to blame. The Bill seeks to set up functional boards at the individual state and district level to revamp road design, and swiftly correct flaws on the ground.
The Bill also seeks to streamline vehicle registration by dealers themselves, rather than leaving it to the relevant regional transport office (RTO). What’s essential is standardised norms for testing and issue of driver’s licence, to remove potential for corruption at RTOs.
The way ahead is to pass the Motor Vehicles Bill and make it an Act.
The Motor Vehicles Bill, 2016 does seek to address road safety in various ways and the Lok Sabha has already approved the draft law, but the Rajya Sabha is yet to have it passed. The data suggest that most road accidents and loss of life is due to driver negligence, although badly designed roads are also to blame. The Bill seeks to set up functional boards at the individual state and district level to revamp road design, and swiftly correct flaws on the ground.
The Bill also seeks to streamline vehicle registration by dealers themselves, rather than leaving it to the relevant regional transport office (RTO). What’s essential is standardised norms for testing and issue of driver’s licence, to remove potential for corruption at RTOs.
The way ahead is to pass the Motor Vehicles Bill and make it an Act.