As per the WHO Global Report on Road Safety 2018, India accounts for almost 11 per cent of road crash-related deaths in the world – the highest among 199 countries followed by China and the US. According to the latest Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) report on Road Crashes in 2019, on an average around 1,230 road crashes and 414 deaths took place daily on Indian roads in 2019, which translates into 51 crashes and loss of 17 lives every hour.
Expressways and Highways constitute almost 5 per cent of the total road network in India but contribute around 55.3 per cent of total road crashes and almost 62.4 per cent of total fatalities in the country, translating to over 145 road crash deaths every day on national highways. Official data suggests that on an average one death occurs every two km on Indian highways, annually.
To bring road crashes and fatalities under control, SKODA AUTO Volkswagen India in collaboration with SaveLIFE Foundation and Government of Maharashtra have implemented Zero Fatality Corridor project on the NH-48 – a 360-degree road safety solution across the 5 E’s of Road Safety – Engineering, Enforcement, Emergency Care, Engagement and Enactment to bring down road fatalities in India. In this National Road Safety week, let us understand the Zero Fatality Corridor Project and the impact generated by it.
Zero Fatality Corridor Project: Interventions on NH-48(Old-Mumbai Pune Highway)
The Zero Fatality Corridor (ZFC) is a pioneering attempt to build a replicable model for road safety that can be implemented on any road. The aim of the initiative is to reduce the number of road crash fatalities on the Old Mumbai-Pune Highway to near-zero levels. This is in line with India’s commitment to reduce road crash deaths by 50% under the Stockholm Declaration.
The ZFC initiative is executed by implementing a 360-degree road safety solution across the 5 E’s of Road Safety:
Engineering – Through this, the aim is to make the road infrastructure more forgiving by implementing a Safe System Approach to Road Engineering and Design.
Enforcement – The project aims to enhance enforcement by using technology and proven international best practices. Interceptor vehicles are deployed periodically to check traffic offences. These vehicles are equipped with speed detection radar and help in issuing challans for over speeding vehicles.
Emergency Care – The important feature of the project is to establish an emergency care signage along with an effective response mechanism so that the survivor could receive timely medical intervention.
Engagement – The project has a strong public engagement component. The nearby communities (first responders during a crash) were educated on quick first aid response. Population living in nearby villages was also informed on safe road user practices and safeguards provided to them under the Good Samaritan Law
Impact of Old Mumbai Pune Highway Zero Fatality Corridor Project
The project covers a 111 km stretch of NH-48, also known as the Old Mumbai- Pune Expressway. So far, this has led to an overall reduction in fatalities by 30%, from 298 deaths in 2017 to 206 in 2019 on the expressway.
Outcomes of the Old Mumbai Pune Highway Zero Fatality Corridor
1. There has been a 31% reduction in deaths on the target 111 km section of NH-48 from 2017 in 2019.
2. Till January 2020, 632 participants have been trained under Basic Trauma Life Support (BTLS) to provide rapid emergency care after a crash. The participants include highway police constables, concessionaire staff, and patrol vehicle drivers.
3. SaveLIFE Foundation and MSRDC jointly identified 22 types of engineering issues in the assessment in 2019. Over the last 3 years, more than 1000 of them have been fixed. These errors are monitored monthly to keep track of the progress as a part of the operations and maintenance exercise.
4. 500 signages on trees have been installed to help in night-time visibility and visual notification to users of roadside hazards.
This article is part of a series on National Road Safety Week
