Road safety: India complies with only 3 of 12 UN targets

India has a high level of compliance only in three of the 12 United Nations (UN) Road Safety targets, a just released WHO South-East Asia Regional status report on road safety suggests. It remains moderate in the case of two targets, is in the ‘low-moderate’ category for six other targets and ‘low’ for one. The estimated road traffic deaths per 100,000 population in India was 15.4, higher than the global rate of 15 road traffic deaths per 100,000 population.

The first UN target where India scores well is related to the establishment of a comprehensive multisectoral national road safety action plan. The country has also complied with the international body’s call to accede to one or more of the core road safety-related UN legal instruments by 2030. The UN target to see all countries have national laws to restrict or prohibit the use of mobile phones while driving has also been complied by India.

However, India’s compliance level remains moderate against the UN target of ensuring that all new roads achieve technical standards for all road users that take into account road safety or meet a three-star rating or better by 2030. The country also falls behind in ensuring that by 2030, more than 75% of travel on existing roads is on roads that meet technical standards for all road users, which take into account road safety.

The compliance status is ranked as low-moderate against six UN targets. One such target says that by 2030, 100% of new (defined as produced, sold or imported) and used vehicles meet high quality safety standards, such as the recommended priority UN Regulations, Global Technical Regulations, or equivalent recognized national performance requirements. The report notes that while Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989 addresses vehicle safety for new four wheelers there is no that legislation addresses the vehicle safety of two/three-wheeled motorised vehicles. Time-bound target has also not been specified by India to achieve this target. The next target where India’s compliance level is low-moderate is the one that strives to halve the proportion of vehicles travelling over the posted speed limit by 2030 for better road safety. The report notes that India has not reported any targets set for reduction in speed-related injuries and deaths and has not made available any good estimates of percentage of vehicles exceeding speed limits.

A 2030 deadline to increase the proportion of motorcycle riders correctly using standard helmets to close to 100%, increase the proportion of motor vehicle occupants using safety belts or standard child-restraint systems to close to 100% and halve the number of road traffic injuries and deaths related to drivers using alcohol, and/or achieve a reduction in those related to other psychoactive substances and to enact regulations for driving time and rest periods for professional drivers, and/or accede to international/ regional regulation in this area are the four other targets where compliance remain low-moderate.

The report puts India’s compliance level as “low” when it comes to the UN target to establish and achieve national targets to minimize the time interval between road traffic crash and the provision of first professional emergency care by 2030.