NRSC member pitches for regulation of speed to reduce mishaps

NEW DELHI: More than half of the deaths in road accidents happen due to over-speeding of vehicles, a National Road Safety Council (NRSC) member said today, while advocating for regulation of speed on commercial vehicles and participation of states in curbing the menace.

NRSC member Kamaljit Soi noted that almost all states have so far remained non-committed to proper installations of 'speed governors', a device to measure and regulate speed, in commercial vehicles despite directions from the Supreme Court.

As per the 'Road accidents in India 2014' report by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) within the category of drivers' fault, accidents caused and persons killed due to "exceeding lawful speed" accounted for 55 per cent (2,08,271 out of 3,78,992 accidents) and 56.2 per cent (57,844 out of 1,02,878 deaths), respectively.

Reference in this regard is also made in the report titled 'Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India, 2014' by the National Crime Records Bureau, which states that 36.8 per cent accidents have been caused due to over-speeding, Soi said.

"The most effective way to reduce these alarming statistics is by slowing down on our roads. If we all slowed down, our chances of being killed or seriously injured on the road would dramatically decrease.

"Speeding is not just driving faster than the speed limit. It is also driving too fast for the weather, light, traffic and road conditions. After a lot of efforts in order to reduce deaths and injuries on the roads of the country, Supreme court of India in the year 2002 issued directions for installation of speed governors to save lives to all the states, but to utter disregard to human lives, the states have not followed the directions...," he said.