WAKE UP, OH YOUTH!

WAKE UP, OH YOUTH!

Road Safety Scenario in India:

India witnesses eighty thousand deaths in road crashes every year, 13% of the total fatality in

world. In 2015 with the number of deaths rose nearly 5% to 1.46 lakh. Major reasons which

account for the mammoth figure are:

• Driving drunk
• Using phone while driving
• Not using pedestrian crossings for crossing roads
• Rash driving.
• Low proportion of untrained drivers
• Lack of positive driving culture

Who can take the Torch Ahead?

India has the world's largest youth population with more than 65% population below the age of 35. In future, policies are going to be made by the youth for the youth. Therefore, youth certainly has a significant role to play in Road Safety due to large proportion in population and high motivation level to bring change into the society.

What youth can achieve?

I had an appalling experience when I saw the video of a child who had just visited Singapore and was fascinated by the Road Safety systems in place. The video can be seen here Road Safety Practices in Singapore and is used by www.publicsafetyindia.com for motivational purpose. The child in the video seems to be determined to change the Road Safety Systems of India.

The child notices:

• Automatic Pedestrian Road Crossing Signal
•  Zebra Lines
•  Drivers as responsible drivers who let the citizen cross the road first
•  Push Based Signal system for crossing the road

People may reject the determined attitude of the child disregarding as not practical as per Indian context, and emotional approach. In addition, people may say that such big policies makers have failed to bring change, what will this child’s do? But that is where the youth has to change the mindset. Youth is new to the world and therefore has not been gripped by the narrow minded system. Nobody has ever been able to stop new birds from flying just because old ones’ feathers have been cut away due to the dangers. The youth has the power to Create and Innovate; they can develop Analytics based Road Safety systems, Video Analytics for rule violation, Automatic road crossing signals etc. The youth has a Voice; they can help government by identifying risk prone zones, U-turns, dividers across the roads, running road safety promotional campaigns in Colleges and Universities, etc. As said by Swami Vivekananda “What we want are some young men who will renounce everything for country’s sake, the country will be transformed”.

Raghav Ahuja 

CONDITION OF RURAL ROADS

Rural Road connectivity is a key component of rural development, since it promotes access to

economic and social services, thereby generating increased agricultural productivity, non-agriculture

employment as well as non-agricultural productivity, which in turn expands rural growth

opportunities and real income through which poverty can be reduced.

A study (Fan et al. 2006) carried out by the International Food Policy Research Institute on

linkages between government expenditure and poverty in rural India has revealed that an

investment of Rs 1 crore in roads lifts 1650 poor persons above the poverty line. Public investment

on roads impacts rural poverty through its effect on improved agricultural productivity, higher non-

farm employment opportunities and increased rural wages. Improvement in agricultural productivity

not only reduces rural poverty directly by increasing income of poor households, it also causes

decline in poverty indirectly by raising agricultural wages and lowering food prices (since poor

households are net buyers of foodgrains). Similarly, increased non-farm employment and higher

rural wages also enhance incomes of the rural poor and consequently, reduce rural poverty. This

study estimated that while the ‘productivity effect’ of government spending on rural roads accounts

for 24 per cent of total impact on poverty, increased non-farm employment accounts for 55 per cent

and higher rural wages accounts for the remaining 31 per cent. Further, of the total productivity

effect on poverty, 75 per cent arises from the direct impact of roads in increasing incomes, while the

remaining 25 per cent arises from lower food prices (15 per cent) and increased wages (10 per cent).

Similar results are found in other developing countries. The study by the same institute (Fan et al.

2000)) in China revealed that with every 10,000 Yuan (about $1200) spent on rural roads eleven

persons are lifted above the poverty line. Living Standard Survey in Vietnam in 2002 showed that

populations living within 2 km of all-weather roads have lower poverty rates as noted in the draft

Vision Document for Rural Roads, 2006 (MoRD, 2006). Statistical evidence apart, the link between

poverty and lack of accessibility is quite apparent. Nearer home, a household survey (APERP, 1997)

conducted in the state of Andhra Pradesh indicated that the rural road improvements lead to

substantial reduction in freight charges, increase in household income, more employment

opportunities, and expansion of cultivated land as shown in Figures 5.1, 5.2, and 5.3.

STATUS OF RURAL ROADS IN INDIA

Roads are classified under a time-honoured system into National Highways (NHs), State Highways

(SHs), Major District Roads (MDRs), Other District Roads (ODRs), and Village Roads (VRs), with well-

recognized standards for construction and maintenance laid out in respect of each category.

Generally speaking, there are clearly understood demarcations of responsibility in terms of

governmental offices expected to deal with each category. However, while the activity mapping with

respect to NHs and SHs is clear cut, with respect to MDRs, ODRs, and VRs, these distinctions are

blurred. In many states, though PRIs are assigned responsibilities with respect to ODRs and VRs, a

plethora of agencies and line departments undertake formation and repairs of roads. These include

the state government’s PWD wing, the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs),

parallel bodies created by multilateral agencies, Forest department, Development authorities and so

on.

There are several general funds that are used for roads,

apart from special schemes tied to specific road projects.

Analysis of Delhi roads

It was a nice Sunday morning. I have planned with my frnds to do a road trip. our plan was to do cycling      from lajpatnagar to rashtrapati bhawan.My motive was to analyse the roads of delhi very closely. While passing through the road somewhere near JLN stadium I noticed an accident. It happened previous night. 

It was collision between an auto rikshaw and honda city car.

I stopped my bicycle there and seen that place closely. I also asked few questions related to this from people around there. The answers were quite expecting. It was because driver was not in the real world. May be both of them were fuddled. The auto rikshaw was totally destroyed from the back and the car from the front..IT WAS TERRIBLE..I think they must be knowing that one should NOT drive after drinking alcohol..But who cares?? A proper implementation is necessary. As said by a man the crowd there helped each other and taken the injured persons to nearby health centre.

That man said me something.It was really surprising,i cant imagine that how a person can be like that.Actually he said me that few people there were not helping the needies . They were taking out all the expensive belongings.Though it was noticed only by few people but they have also not reacted there.

#DRUNKandDRIVE IS ALWAYS DANGEROUS..BUT GREED OF MONEY THAT KILLS HUMANITY IS THE DEATH OF MANKIND..

WE SHOULD COME FORWARD TO HELP SOMEONE. NOT TO HELP OUR OWN SELF BECAUSE OF SOMEONE'S HELPLESSNESS.

This  is the story of #Supreet , who went to cycling on 25th oct 2016 .

SUPREET SHUKHLA

I lost my brother

One day, you call your cousin (brother) for casual talk, when you are hundreds of kilometres away. Your cousin (sister) picks up the phone only to tell you that he is not at home. You acknowledge and hang up. After a day or two you call him again but he is unavailable as he is at his mausi’s (aunt) house. He is focusing on his studies. You reply with a dry “okay” and hang up. You tried to get his aunt’s number in vain. You chuck away the thought of calling him, thinking you can talk to him when you get home. When the time came for you to go home, you were excited, there was so much to talk about with your brother. But when you got home, you heard the shocking news about him.
This is my story from when I was studying in Kota, preparing for the JEE. The person to whom am trying to reach is my brother Hitesh (Raja), he is of same age as mine so I am a lot attached to him. We spent a lot of time together playing, having fun. I decided to have a conversion with him on a lot of things. As I am heading towards him a new feeling ran in my veins as we will be talking to each other after a long time. My mama ji was there to receive me at the railway stations .After a formal talk he told me that there is something we haven’t told you. I thought it must not be a big thing then he told me that Raja is no more. Suddenly I don’t know what I have heard a few seconds ago. Then I don’t know what happened next but I can’t feel anything next every memory which I have with him comes in my mind. Then I am able to ask a single question how and when. Then he told me, the day when you first call him and we pretend you he is not at home, he met with an accident on bike with a truck. He wass not on the wrong lane but the truck driver lost control, and all this happened. He was not wearing a helmet; his whole body have no major wounds except with a broken neck. He died at the very same moment. He further continued, we once tried to contact you about this but we can’t, fearing what will happen to you when you are at such a large distance. These words broke my heart.

 Sometimes in this time gap I realise that something wrong must have happened but the belief on my family give me always a safe and secure feeling. I lost my brother but don’t want others to lose theirs. It took a lot of time to write such a small portion of my story, whenever I tried to mention my brother’s name, tears starts running from my eyes. It’s been 2 years he is not with us,but we still miss him. I don’t want anything like this happens to anyone.  Always use safety precautions.

Pankaj Yadav ( with Raja)

My Uncle

How does it feel? How does it feel?

It's as if time has stopped. It's as if everything has come to a standstill, and so have you. So much to do, to scream and run and jump, and yet nothing comes out.

It's one of those moments in life. 

I watched, with my two eyes as my uncle rammed his speeding car into a pickup truck, and splinter into millions of pieces and singe, singe in flames. 

We were all returning from a wedding, and my uncle was drunk to the point of oblivion. He got into a huge fight when we asked him not to drive, and finally agreed that he would just bring the car from the parking lot to in front of us, and then my mother could drive us home. 

So my mother and I waited as my uncle came up the road.

He pretty obviously wasn't thinking, for the car was hurtling at an insane speed, and didn't stop where we were standing. My mother yelled at my uncle and ran after the car, while I was numb from the freezing winter, and also shock and bewilderment.

It didn't take long, but felt like an eternity. Suddenly out of nowhere, a mammoth of a truck seemed to emerge on the road right in front of the one my uncle was on.

I could hear anything, nor see anything. My throat was dry, my heart beating wildly. I felt disabled, numb.

Gone. In a matter of minutes, a 35-year-old software engineer in TCS, gone up in flames and splinters. A 35-year-old man who was the light and life of our entire family. All charred and shattered.

I still have no idea what I was thinking back then, looking at my mother's silhouette, the car in flames, people rushing about, clutching their sweaters and shawls, light, noise, death surrounding us. I certainly felt the bite of the cold set in, piercing my flimsy clothing material - but no. My uncle couldn't die, could he? I swallowed, watched my mother and the slowly-growing crowd. 

In a matter of a while, my uncle's family was torn asunder. His wife and daughter moved to Chennai to live on their own, far from the place which served to remind them of that accident day after day, night after night.

Perhaps this is nothing compared to what people have suffered in road accidents. But yeah, road accidents shouldn't be happening. It's something seriously messed up if we're developing at such an accelerated rate, and continue losing people to brutal road accidents. My uncle isn't going to come back to us, anyway.

Anjali Bhavan

ONE NIGHT.....

Many times we hear about the innumerable cases of road accidents and road safety as an imminent and important issue. Without giving it a close attention, nor having a soft heart towards it, personally speaking, I was never so much exposed to road incidents or the extent to which it could damage and transform lives.  One incident that happened with my family really slipped the ground under my feet. It happened in the mid of November when my maternal family went to a small district in Uttar Pradesh to attend a wedding function. Everything was jolly in the midst of celebration with pomp and show, when their world turned upside down while returning from the function.  The catastrophe took place around 11 o’clock in the night when my uncle who was driving the car crashed into another speeding car which had three boys who were drunk. My uncle tried his head and heel to manage the speeding car but it came to a halt and the windows including the glass panes were shattered as if somebody had crushed it between the palms of his hands. It was a dreadful and the most horrifying accidents I have ever heard about. My whole maternal family was in the car. Everyone was unconscious and lying on the road. Everything was collapsed including the seats and the other setup in the car. My aunts and uncle had lost consciousness. The whole family was broken and everyone was in the worst phase of their life that they little knew in unconsciousness. We, as an immediate family, provided them all the help they required. We understand the importance of something as we ourselves suffered of that condition. In the other car, the two youngsters were dead on the spot and one was in the most dreadful condition. That moment I realized the plight of the people who are lying on the road and how their eyes give shrill cries for help. I decided and took an oath to help people in spreading the message of road safety. ‘Indian road safety campaign’ came as a shining light in my drowsy path and it helped me to spread awareness and work for the same. It made me realize that it’s not a small issue anymore as it causes dreadful and unexpected deaths than any other issue, be it a terrorist attack or a natural disaster. Here, people can save their lives and others lives by being more attentive on what’s happening on the road and following some precautions. The need of the hour is that children from a young age should be taught about road safety and its effects in the long run. School teachers and parents should teach them about it and they should also have some practical and sound knowledge. For example, crossing the road, walking on footpaths, using zebra crossing and traffic lights for crossing the road, avoiding drink and drive and being patient and attentive while on or either sides of the roads.

TUBA ALI

The importance of road safety

As a student, I always wanted my voice to have an outreach so that I could share my

experience about the one thing that goes unnoticed in our daily lives- life on the roads. I’m

thankful to the IRSC (Indian Road Safety Campaign) for providing me a platform where I

could try and influence those who will connect with my words and where I could make an

impact.

Being an Indian, one should never underestimate the importance of road safety. Too often

people casually stroll down the lane, unaware of the danger that lurks in their surroundings.

India is a country where you have to look both ways before crossing a one way road. Always

in a state of hurry, some drivers don’t pay heed to the traffic rules. Lack of education,

impatience and lack of strictness in the traffic police are a lot of factors that lead to this road

rage and the results are catastrophic. When people talk about causes of death, they often

turn a blind eye to the threat they are under while they are on the road, be it walking or in a

vehicle. This carelessness results in numbers that’ll shock you to the core of your heart. Over

1,37,000 people were killed in road accidents in 2013 alone, that is more than the number

of people killed in all our wars put together. 16 children die on Indian roads daily. These

statistics emphasise the fact there is a huge need to pay attention to this issue.

Like most people, I never really gave it any thought despite having a glance occasionally in

the newspapers or on television about these accidents. But then came the day when a close

relative was hit by a van from behind, while he was on his bike. Blood was splattered

everywhere and he was taken to a hospital just in time for his life to be saved. No doubt it

was the driver’s fault who was in way too much hurry to even stick around and take him to a

hospital. He just fled the scene. That was an eye-opener and I would suggest people to not

wait for an accident to happen before they stop taking this issue lightly. Parents need to be

really attentive towards their children from the very beginning and teach them all the basics

about traffic rules and crossing of road alongside the education that school provides. If we

all inculcate in ourselves a little more patience, it’ll prevent so many mishaps from taking

place and the world would certainly be a better place.

ANKIT MOHAPATRA

The Road not taken...

Mr Anand didnt know it was the last morning walk of his life. On the pleasant june morning, as he left his house, he had no idea that he would never return. As he was jogging on the road side, a speeding car came charging right at him. Frantically, he tried to jump on the footpath but it was too late. The car threw him few metres away banging him into a tree and a car nearby. Passerby immediately went to help him, however all was in vain. The driver was later taken into custody but it couldn't undo that mornings dark event.
"With power comes great responsibilities" -- A well said quote whose meaning has been lost over the years. Each new development that crosses our path every day, not only gives us power to create but also design an alternative of destruction.
Vehicle is one of the most amazing inventions humankind ever created. Today, one cant even imagine what life would have been without vehicles. But I wonder, if the inventor had seen the above video or the several others that get recorded everyday & titled 'Road Accidents', would he have developed vehicles afterall ?
Road accidents are today as common as bread in a bakery. Reasons are several, so lets begin.
Starting from the most prevalent cause, iinefficient law enforcement. You dont have a helmet, no seat belt, drunk & still driving, speeding at about thrice the speed limit......no problem a few bucks, a few calls & you will be back on road instead of the jail. Funny as it may appear, it is indeed the true story of most cities & towns in India. Next are the distractions, be it cell phones, animals or large advertisements which cover the roadsides. Overloading on two wheelers, red light jumping, improper lane driving & overtaking are some of the stupidities which youth today finds "Coooool". Inappropriate construction of roads with several pits & open manholes haven't failed to claim several lives too.
Organisations like IRSC which have been working to create awareness about road accidents are the need of the hour. By collaborating with several colleges, these organisations are aiming at the youth who need to understand this issue the most. On our own small level, we must follow the basic road safety rules. Even the government must take measures like Kerela, where no petrol will be provided to two wheeler drivers without helmet ( to be implemented from 1 August).

Shikha Singh

SAFETY OF FAMILY.

Family is not an important thing. It's everything.

One of my uncle, who is like my father is a resident of Gurgaon.

As usual, he was going to his office, but unfortunately something happened, which was distressing. While he was crossing Rajiv Chowk of Gurgaon, he met with an accident.

One car took wrong turn and hit his bike. His bike was dragged with the car and and then he went about 200  m away. He became injured critically.

Police helped him and he was sent to the hospital.

As he was wearing helmet, so he was saved. But his injuries were severe.

This incident impacted me a lot. I couldn't understand whom should I blame, the car driver or the government for not creating good road's design or my uncle himself for not driving properly. I analysed this situation a lot. Why this accident actually happened? What adverse situation would have been created? What is the law against such accidents?

There were many other questions in my mind. I was a bit confused.

Then I came to know about "Indian Road Safety Campaign". I really praise the effort of this team , because this type of efforts are really needed. Actually their activities and research helped me to understand the situation. I even suggested my family and friends to follow them to avoid such accidents in future. Many more initiatives like this should be taken to make our country a safe place.

RAVI SHARMA.

NEED OF ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGNS

I am an NSS-DTU volunteer and I came to know about Indian road safety campaign, when NSS-IITD team and TRIPP initiated the DTU chapter of IRSC. Amar Srivastava, student co-ordinator of NSS-IITD and Professor Geetam Tiwari, IIT-D civil engineering faculty form TRIPP Department visited our campus and organized an orientation session about the increased road accidents in India and their campaign. Till then, I’ve never seen Road Safety as a serious issue.

But as I started observing while walking on roads, or while taking my scooty lessons, or while travelling in a car, I realized that roads in Indian cities are highly risky and drivers of four wheelers and two wheelers are indifferent towards safety of pedestrians and bi-cycle riders.

Not long after, I witnessed an accident in front of our apartment. In my semester break, I was in Mumbai enjoying my holidays and having a peaceful time, when on an evening, we heard some noises coming from the road in front of our society. People had gathered around a fallen bicycle and traffic police was diverting traffic from the place. Me and my brother rushed to the balcony and when police cleared the crowd; we saw a body covered with blood and white sheet . I was mentally disturbed with the sight even though the victim was not my family. And then, I felt I could imagine the pain close friends or family of accidents victims go through. The sudden shock and trauma of early and unnatural death of a close-one is a huge misfortune for those affected.

http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/mumbai-hit-by-clean-up-truck-cyclist-dies-2876090/

Unfortunately, we are not influenced by high statistics of road accidents in India, but we are more influenced when it happens to someone close or when we see it ourselves. We can prevent them from happening to near and dear ones by sensitizing civilians about Traffic and Road safety rules. Campaign like IRSC which aims at spreading awareness at school or college level or identifying areas which are prone to road accidents is a needful and important initiative in current scenario. It is required that this campaign keeps evolving and reaches more and more students in maximum colleges and also more such campaigns emerge in near future.

Mahima Chugh

NSS-DTU